Man City ‘sued by clothing brand Superdry’ due to training kit endorsement deal with brewery’s alcohol-free beer range
MANCHESTER CITY have been sued by clothing brand Superdry over their training kit endorsement deal.
According to the Telegraph high street fashion brand Superdry have launched a High Court claim against the Cityzens.
The claim comes after Man City announced that their training gear would be sponsored by Japanese brewery Asahi’s alcohol free beer.
The teetotal beverage is named Asahi Super “Dry” 0.0 and their sponsorship deal with City sees the words Super “Dry” plastered on the club’s training gear.
As a result the clothing brand Superdry have alleged that the partnership represents a trademark infringement on their name.
City announced in 2023 that their deal with Asahi Super “Dry” would see men’s and women’s training kit feature the brand’s logo for the current campaign.
But on December 15 Superdry asked for an “injunction” to be put in place to “restrain” the treble winners from using their name on the kit.
And the clothing manufacturer is also said to be looking for costs alongside the injunction, but are yet to quantify the amount their claim is worth.
While the law firm acting on behalf of Superdry, Fox Williams LLP, have also warned for a demand for the “destruction or modification upon oath of all goods and other items… [which] would constitute a breach of the injunctions.”
Phillip Roberts KC, who represents the firm, explained that the public may confuse the branding on Man City’s training kit as something created by Superdry.
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He said: “The sponsored kit is identical to each of the selected goods [and is] identical with or similar to the mark for which the Superdry Registrations are registered in relation to goods identical with or similar to those for which the Superdry Registrations are registered,
“In circumstances liable to give rise to a likelihood of confusion on the part of the public.”
City’s sponsorship deal with Asahi goes beyond their training kit with a number of modifications and re-brands taking place at the Eithad Stadium.
The Asahi Tunnel club was introduced by the club while technology has been put in place around the stadium to allow the beer to be served to fans.
SunSport has approached Manchester City for a comment.