The world's most expensive soccer player wins the legal fight to register his name as a trademark. This fight has taken seven years to win. He can now use his name in sports related business as a legal entity.

Mr Messi submitted his application to register messi as a trademark but was turned down by the European Union Office for Intellectual Property (EUIPO) in 2011. His application for registration was contested by Massi, a Spanish cycling brand. Massi argued that the name Messi would cause confusion if accepted for registration since they look and sound too similar.

Turning the decision in favour of the popular footballer, the EU's general court ruled that Messi is well-known all over the world and hence there was no risk of confusing Messi with Massi. But the General Court, the EU's second highest court, disagreed. This is a quote from the general court's ruling:

"The football player's fame counteracts the visual and phonetic similarities" with Massi.
"Mr Messi is, in fact, a well-known public figure who can be seen on television and who is regularly discussed on television or on the radio," the court said.

With this decision in his favor, the world's most expensive player has scored a decisive victory off the field and is now legally free to register his name as a brand and use it legally in business.

What do you think of this story, say your mind!