Man City avoided having to appear in court after successfully negotiating with the plaintiff.
Man City are expected to appear at London’s High Court this week in connection with a lawsuit filed by British fashion retailer Superdry, which accuses one of the club’s commercial partners of trespassing. infringed trademark rights through sponsorship displayed on City’s training gear.
City’s sponsorship deal with Japanese beer company Asahi focuses on promoting their ‘Super Dry’ non-alcoholic beer brand, with the logo appearing on the club’s training kit. But more than a year ago, Superdry took legal action, claiming in its suit that the sponsorship “unfairly took advantage of or damaged the distinctive nature or reputation” of the Superdry brand. Lawyers tried to argue that the sponsorship with Asahi “could mislead” the public into believing it was a deal struck with the fashion retailer.
But the case did not proceed in court this week after both City and Superdry reached an agreement to end the case. From this season, the Asahi 0.0% logo remains prominent on City’s training kits but no longer carries the ‘Super Dry’ branding.
City Football Group, the parent company that owns Man City, has rejected claims that there has been infringement, arguing that the “average consumer” would recognize that it is not the logo of the trendy retailer. UK site but instead of the non-alcoholic beer brand Asahi.
In a statement on Tuesday, via the Financial Times, Superdry said “the parties have reached a mutual settlement agreement to resolve the dispute” but the terms are “confidential”.
Man City have made Asahi a commercial partner in 2023, but the legal dispute between the Japanese brewer and the fashion retailer has dragged on for more than two decades after Asahi tried and failed in preventing Superdry from registering its trademark.