UFC star Conor McGregor suffers a rare defeat in clothing trademark fight
Conor McGregor has lost a legal battle against a clothing firm that shares the same name as the UFC superstar's brand.
The clothing firm 'McGregor' was founded in 1921 by David Doniger, a member of the McGregor clan. Doniger moved to America and shaped the 'McGregor' company which is now owned by a Dutch organization.
For the last three years, Conor McGregor was involved in a legal battle with the McGregor firm after the 100-year-old company filed a lawsuit contesting that people may confuse their products with The Notorious' clothing brand, 'Conor McGregor'.
Now, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has ruled that the UFC star will not have the authority to sell his products under the brand, 'Conor McGregor'.
Earlier, the legal team of the 32-year-old had challenged that no such confusion would arise since their brand also boasts McGregor's name, 'Conor'. However, the EUIPO disregarded the appeal and stated that the visual similarities in the Irishman's brand with the 'McGregor' firm is likely to confuse costumers:
"The average degree of visual and aural similarity between the conflicting signs, the normal level of attention of the relevant public and the normal inherent distinctive character of the earlier mark, there is a likelihood of confusion. The appeal is not well-founded", read the ruling issued by EUIPO.
This is not the first time that Conor McGregor has been entangled in a legal trademark battle. The Irish fighter's appeal to trademark his moniker, 'Mystic Mac' was also challenged by a makeup brand, 'MAC Cosmetics'.
Conor McGregor all set to face Dustin Poirier at UFC 256
Conor McGregor may have slumped to a defeat in his legal battle, but the 32-year-old would certainly be hoping to emerge victorious in a highly-anticpated clash against Dustin Poirier at UFC 256 on January 23.
The aforementioned bout will be a rematch of their 2014 fight in which The Notorious One got the better of Poirier via first-round TKO.
The winner of this super fight is most likely to stake his claim on the UFC Lightweight title.