Agency :
Les Editions P. Amaury, which owns the rights to football award Ballon d’Or, on Wednesday lost its trademark fight against Britain’s Golden Balls after a European court backed a patent agency’s decision to strip the French firm’s rights to TV broadcasting and books.
The Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe’s second top court, however restored Ballon d’Or’s trademark rights to entertainment services, saying that the EU Intellectual Property Office was wrong to revoke it.
Ballon d’Or is awarded to the best male and female footballers of the year.
Ballon d’Or’s dispute with British sportswear company Golden Balls started in 2017 when the UK company asked EUIPO to cancel the former’s trademark because it had not been used.
