Real Madrid and Barcelona will no longer be able to use the term ‘El Clasico’ in their marketing campaigns. As per Relevo, they have lost their bid to patent the term.
They report that the Patent and Brands Office in Spain have rejected their request to patent that phrase. They consider it too close to the LaLiga-branded slogan ‘ElClasico‘, which has already been patented by the league.
The two clubs, working arm-in-arm again, will have a month to appeal the decision. Should they be denied again, they may take the matter to an international court.
Their reasoning was that the ‘El Clasico’ brand is too similar, and could be confused with the other slogan, belonging to La Liga. It prevents the clubs from using the phrase to head marketing campaigns and prevents them from using it for TV deals when playing friendlies or international competitions.
This is just the latest in a number of issues that serve as battles in an over-arching war between Barcelona and Real Madrid, and La Liga.
That changes nothing for the players, and for futbol fans worldwide. The lawyers can play their little games and fight over naming rights; it will always be El Clasico to the people that matter.