The EU upholds a ruling in favor of the Paris St Germain forward. A businessman had registered Neymar's name as a trademark, claiming he didn't know the Brazilian was set for stardom. Judges found this "inconceivable."
Image: Reuters/B. Tessier
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The European Union has supported Neymar's demand for a declaration of invalidity against a trademark registration trying to exploit his international appeal.
At the end of 2012, Carlos Moreira, from Portugal, filed an application with the EU's Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to register the word sign 'NEYMAR' as a trademark. It was subsequently approved in April 2013. This meant Moreira was free to use the name emblazoned across products such as t-shirts, hats and sports shoes.
However, three years later, Neymar and his representatives sued and the EUIPO sided with the Paris St Germain striker. On Tuesday, this decision was upheld.
A press release from Luxembourg read: "By today's judgment, the Court upholds the decision that Mr Moreira was acting in bad faith when he filed the application for registration of the mark ‘NEYMAR'."
The Portuguese businessman acknowledged that he was aware of Neymar's existence when he made the initial application, but did not realize he was a rising star, both in Latin America and Europe. EUIPO, however, did not believe this stance as Neymar's legal team demonstrated he was already a global star, even before his transfer to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2013.
The judges said the claim that Moreira had "little knowledge of the world of football" was not credible, considering that he also made an application for the registration of trademark "IKER CASILLAS" on the same day. The Spanish goalkeeper had been a world recognized name since making his debut for Spanish giants Real Madrid in 1999. This showed that Moreira "possessed more than a little knowledge of the world of football," according to the judgement from Luxembourg, and that it was "inconceivable" that the defendant did not know about Neymar's potential for stardom.
Moreira's claims that he only chose Neymar's name due to its phonetic appeal were also dismissed.
The best paid sports stars in the world
Cristiano Ronaldo? Lionel Messi? Neymar? No, the best paid athlete in the world is not a footballer, according to US magazine Forbes' latest money rankings. And for the first time, there are no women in the top 100...
Image: Getty Images/G. Shamus
#10: Matthew Stafford
In American football, the top stars still earn a lot of money without even having to win titles. Matthew Stafford could not lead his Detroit Lions into the Super Bowl, but the 30-year-old quarterback brings in a yearly salary of €50.7 million.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/P. Sancya
#9: Matt Ryan
Another quarterback who hasn't made it to the Super Bowl: Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons. Having earned €57.4 million last year, he is (at least financially) ahead of Super Bowl winner Nick Foles (Philadelphia Eagles) and superstar Tom Brady (New England Patriots), who are both outside the top 100 earners.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/dpa/E. Gay
#8: Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry, the man for the special moments. He is known for his accuracy from the three point line or even further. His 'magical throwing hand ' brings him annually €65.6 million — only one basketball player gets more.
Image: Reuters/USA TODAY Sports/K. Terada
#7: Roger Federer
What a comeback for the man from Switzerland. Two grand slam titles, seven tournament victories and a match record comparable with his peak. Roger Federer returned in 2017 in impressive style, and thus earned €65.8 million as he returns to the top ten.
Image: Getty Images/A. Bello
#6: LeBron James
His fans just call him "King James". The undisputed superstar of the NBA has won three championships and clinched four MVP titles. James signed a lifelong advertising contract with Nike in 2015, which contributes a large chunk of his annual income of €72.9 million.
Image: Getty Images/G. Shamus
#5: Neymar
In football terms, he is still in the shadow of Ronaldo and Messi — and financially too. Although his €222 million transfer made him the most expensive player of all time, his annual income is still behind his big rivals at a mere €76.7 million.
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#4: Conor McGregor
Who is Conor McGregor? A mixed martial arts fighter who crossed into boxing for one huge fight against superstar Floyd Mayweather in August 2017. This Irishman predictably lost the fight, but earned €63.9 million in one night, five times the amount of his best-paid MMA fight. He made €84.4 million in the year.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/J. Cortez
#3: Cristiano Ronaldo
The Portuguese superstar drops from first place to third in the list, despite increasing his income from €83 to €92.1 million. Not good for his ego. But anyone who knows Ronaldo knows this will only make him more ambitious.
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#2: Lionel Messi
Cynics might say part of the €94.6 million annual income of Lionel Messi belongs to the Spanish taxpayer (allegedly). His Barcelona salary accounts for €71.6 million of the total income, with sponsorship deals — including a huge deal with Adidas — accounting for most of the rest.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/E. Morenatti
#1: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Yes, professional boxers live dangerously and risk a lot for their career. But this sum more than makes up for the pain. Floyd Mayweather Jr. took home a staggering €242.9 million in 2017. That is €4,670,000 per week, or in other words, an hourly wage of €27,728!
Image: Reuters/S. Marcus
...and the best German
That would be Sebastian Vettel. However, the four-times Formula One world champion slipped from rank 14 to 18, despite increasing his income by €2 million to €36 million per year. His rival Lewis Hamilton (43.5 million euro) is ranked 12th. Vettel is the only German athlete in Forbes' top 100 ranking.
Image: Getty Images/M. Thompson
No women in the top 100
Equal pay for men and women? Definitely not in professional sports. Not a single woman finds herself in the Forbes list of the 100 best paid athletes. Serena Williams slips out of the rankings after taking last year off to have a baby, having been at number 51 the year before. Her annual salary of €15.7 million is nice comfort, but also a sad reflection on the world of sport.
