According to Relevo, the two biggest clubs in Spanish football, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, are not allowed to refer to their rivalry’s most illustrious matchups as “El Clasico” anytime they play. Every time it is broadcast, the match is watched by hundreds of millions of fans worldwide, and it is so well-known that just saying the two words together causes people to immediately recognise the game and the two teams being discussed.
However, as things stand, neither of the eternal rivals will be able to utilise the term for commercial purposes going ahead as the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office rejected a request to protect and trademark the term.
The two clubs will have a month’s time to launch an appeal
The Spanish Patent and name Office made its decision because it believes there is a possibility of misunderstanding between the name the clubs sought and that which is currently used by the Spanish League (La Liga) – “ElClásico” – which it considers to be already well-known and sufficiently established.
The agency claims that there is a chance of confusion, which “includes the likelihood of association” with the already registered brand. Additionally, it is worried about the requested trademark generating a link in the mind of the consumer due to similarities in “symbols” or emblems and the standing of the prior brand, La Liga.
Real Madrid and Barcelona have one month’s time to decide whether or not to file an appeal against the current decision. It will be a serious blow to both parties’ marketing, who organise events all over the world when games utilising the phrase, if the decision is not reversed.
The football giants regularly benefit from El Clasico’s enormous commercial potential when trying to sell television rights around the world. There have been five matches between the two teams in 2022/2023 alone, split between La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Copa del Rey. A sixth match also occurred in Las Vegas during the preseason, and American supporters will experience a similar friendly in Dallas this summer.
