A soccer star and a savvy businessman: Mbappé leads Messi and Ronaldo in registered trademarks
abcnews.go.comThe fight between Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the honorific title of “best player in the world” is a tight one
BRUSSELS — It's hard to say whether Kylian Mbappé is ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in their battle for the honorific title of “best player in the world."
But ahead of his expected move to Real Madrid, Mbappé is already leading the pair of multiple Ballon d'Or winners when it comes to intellectual property protection.
In a sign of his immense commerical power, the PSG striker owns seven EU trademarks, including his iconic crossarmed goal celebration pose, his name and the logo of his company. According to the European Union intellectual property office, Messi and Ronaldo have six trademarks registered each.
Mbappé has also registered two of his famous quotes — “Le football, il a changé (Football has changed)” and “Moi, tu m'parles pas d'age (You don’t talk to me about age)” for products including electronic games, mobile apps, posters, handbags, footwear, cosmetics or jewelry.
An EU trademark gives exclusive rights in all EU countries, a market of almost 500 million consumers. It also protects owners against counterfeiting and fraud.
The EU body said Mbappé filed two more applications in February. He is topping the list of EU trademarks owned by soccer players.
Mbappé's “Football has changed” quote became viral on social media two years ago. The business-savvy Frenchman uttered it during a press conference after he was asked on image rights and sports sponsorship following his refusal to take part in a marketing event with the French national team.
While registering trademarks is not unusual in soccer, women's players are, however, invisible in the European IP protection
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