SA firms can't cash in on 2010

Pretoria - Soccer controlling body Fifa says it has made an example of a sports bar in Pretoria that was trying to cash in on the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

According to Fifa, it had obtained an interdict in the Pretoria High Court against Eastwoods Tavern in the city after the sports bar used the words "World Cup 2010", "2010" and "Twenty Ten South Africa" on a display board and flags.

Eastwoods also has to pay a portion of Fifa's legal expenses which, according to Owen Dean of intellectual property attorneys Spoor & Fisher, Fifa's legal representatives, amounted to thousands of rands.

The sports bar lies close to Loftus Versveld, where some of the games will be played during the tournament.

The court found that Eastwoods has been guilty of ambush marketing and illegal competition, had infringed upon Fifa's registered trademarks, and had contravened various acts.

According to Dean this judgment is the first of its kind in the world, after South Africa in 2003 became the first country to adopt legislation in terms of which large gatherings could be declared protected events.

The legislation was developed in South Africa and has since been adopted in countries like the West Indies and New Zealand.

The Eastwoods case was the first litigation in terms of the law, said Dean.

Fifa has since taken issue with four other parties. Two of the cases have been settled, one is still on appeal because of technical issues, while judgment was reserved in December in the case between Fifa and Metcash about the Metcash's naming of its suckers "2010 Pops".

According to Dean, Fifa also wanted to make an example of someone so that other business people wanting to derive illegal benefits from the tournament would see what happened to transgressors.

- Sake24.com

For more business news in Afrikaans, go to Sake24.com.