Haaland brand stolen
He’s called The Terminator. A nickname that perfectly fits his physical presence — almost two meters tall, built like a tank, and with that signature stoic expression — as well as his ruthless focus on scoring. Of course, we’re talking about Erling Braut Haaland, Manchester City’s goal machine.
Recently, Haaland had to cross swords not on the pitch, but in the trademark arena — this time against a Polish opponent. This Polish individual had the bright idea to register the word mark HAALAND as a European trademark. He likely thought he could cleverly take advantage of the fact that Haaland hadn’t yet registered his name — and perhaps make a quick profit from it. But things turned out differently. When Haaland filed his own name as a trademark, the Pole promptly filed an opposition based on his earlier HAALAND registration. Always calm and calculated, Haaland responded by filing a cancellation action with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), arguing bad faith. According to Haaland, the Polish applicant knew exactly who he was and deliberately tried to profit from his fame.
Anyone claiming to be a celebrity has to prove it. So Haaland went all in, submitting stacks of evidence of his international fame: press coverage, sponsorship deals, and articles from Polish newspapers where he was frequently mentioned alongside Lewandowski.
The Pole defended himself creatively. He claimed that “HAALAND” wasn’t named after the footballer at all, but was simply a coincidence — a combination of the Polish word hala (“hall” or “meadow”) and the English word land. Moreover, he said, he didn’t even know who Haaland was, since foreign football in Poland could only be watched on paid channels. And finally, he argued, “Haaland” is just a common Norwegian surname anyway.
The EUIPO didn’t buy it. According to the Office, Haaland was already internationally famous at the time of the trademark filing — including in Poland. The explanation about hala and land was dismissed as implausible. The EUIPO also looked at the motives behind the application: why would someone running a small electrical installation business suddenly register a trademark covering cosmetics, sportswear, nutritional supplements, and other unrelated products? And why then oppose Haaland’s own trademark application? The picture was clear — the Pole had acted in bad faith, seeking to free-ride on Haaland’s reputation. The outcome was inevitable: the HAALAND trademark was declared invalid, and the Polish applicant was ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings.
Could Haaland have prevented all this? Probably. Had he registered his name earlier, he could have avoided the entire legal hassle — and saved himself some money. It’s a reminder that proactively securing your name or brand is often a wise move, especially for public figures. Of course, you’ll need to put that trademark to commercial use, but for someone like Haaland that’s hardly an issue — a foundation, clothing line, or sponsorship deal is easily arranged.
This case, by the way, isn’t unique. The EUIPO also referred to the well-known Neymar case, where a similar attempt to cash in on another celebrity’s name also failed. The Terminator, it seems, doesn’t just score on the field — he wins in the courtroom too.
Author: Arnaud Bos
Bio: Arnaud is trademark attorney and within Knijff responsible for the marketing & communication. Arnaud is specialist in the metaverse and music sectors and his client portfolio includes many upcoming and renowned bands. He keeps a close eye on the latest case law in the EU and will let you know when he sees remarkable applications.