The European Court of Justice, the EU's highest court, has ruled that footballer Lionel Messi can register his name as a trademark.
It dismissed an appeal from Spanish cycling company Massi and the EU's intellectual property office, EUIPO.
The Barcelona footballer first applied to trademark his surname as a sportswear brand in 2011.
But he faced opposition from Massi, who argued that the similarity between their logos would cause confusion.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) said that the star player's reputation could be taken into account when weighing up whether the public would be able to tell the difference between the two brands.
In doing so, it upheld a ruling by the EU's General Court in 2018 that the footballer was too well known for confusion to arise.
Massi, which sells cycle clothing and equipment, was successful in its initial challenge to the Barcelona striker's application. But it lost out when Lionel Messi brought an appeal to the General Court, which ruled in his favour.
Messi, 33, who wears the number 10 shirt, has been crowned world football player of the year a record six times and is the world's highest-paid soccer player, according to Forbes.
Latest Stories
-
Ice cubes now cost more than bread and milk in parts of Mali
48 mins -
Titanic gold pocket watch sells for £900,000
2 hours -
Elon Musk in China to discuss enabling full self driving – reports
2 hours -
Foreign Affairs Ministry advises against travelling to Northern Mali
2 hours -
After dating him for three years, I proposed to my husband
2 hours -
Beatrice ‘Bee’ Arthur tackles plastic pollution through artistic exploration
3 hours -
Hundreds turn out for Luv FM/Telecel Fitness Walk in Kumasi
3 hours -
Ghana Post launches Asantehene Commemorative Stamp
3 hours -
Police fire tear gas to disperse Benin wage protest
3 hours -
Airline keeps mistaking 101-year-old woman for baby
3 hours -
Harvey Weinstein hospitalised after conviction overturned
3 hours -
Anis Hafar: Learning how to avoid wars
3 hours -
Private legal practitioner wins Akan NPP parliamentary candidate poll
4 hours -
American-Israeli hostage appears in Hamas video for first time
4 hours -
‘Who were the successful bidders of 10 BVDs, how was auction advertised?’ – Imani quizzes EC
4 hours