Erling Haaland trademark dispute reaches EU Court

A legal dispute over the trademark rights to the name ‘Haaland’ has escalated to the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg. The conflict involves Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and an unnamed Polish electrician.

The dispute began when the electrician registered ‘Haaland’ as a trademark in the EU for products including sportswear, football boots, and energy drinks. Shortly after, Erling Haaland sought to extend his existing Norwegian trademark to the EU. While Haaland has won two previous legal proceedings, the electrician has filed a lawsuit with the EU Court to overturn the decisions that stripped him of the commercial rights to the name.

The electrician claims he was unaware of the footballer’s fame when registering the mark in 2022, suggesting the name was a self-invented combination of the Polish word ‘hala’ and the English word ‘land’. Conversely, Haaland’s legal team alleges the registration was made in bad faith to profit from the athlete’s global reputation.