Spain's Supreme Court ruled that clothes "with the Nike
name can no longer be sold" in the country, according to
Willow Bay on "Moneyline." The court found that the Nike
brand name "actually belonged to its former distributor."
Bay reported that the decision ends a "decade-long court
battle," but "does not apply" to the Nike swoosh. Nike has
"not decided yet whether it will appeal the ruling" (CNN,
9/29). In N.Y., Tran & Johnson report the court ruled that
Spain-based "sports-goods concern" Cidesport has owned the
rights to use the "Nike" name, which is also the name of the
Greek goddess of victory, since '32. Nike "can use its name
on shoes" sold in Spain because Cidesport does not make
footwear. But Tran & Johnson write that the ruling "could
have broader implications" for Nike, as Cidesport claims
that it "owns trademark rights to the Nike name" in Cuba,
Poland, Cameroon, Tunisia and Andorra and has applied for
trademark rights in other countries. Nike said that the
ruling "won't change" its marketing strategy in Spain and
other countries. A Nike spokesperson said Spain is "not a
major market for us," but "declined to say how big" Nike's
sales are in the country (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/30).
