Image rights dispute ends
06/10/2008
A dispute between Nike and its former distribution partner in Spain has come to an end after rumbling on for 27 years.
The brand first entered the Spanish market in 1981, working with a local distribution company called Cidesport. That same year, and without telling Nike, Cidesport registered the brand’s printed name on garments as its trademark, local media have reported. The relationship prospered in spite of this until 1992 when, for the Barcelona Olympics, Nike decided to end the relationship.
The two companies have been in dispute ever since, and a court hearing in 1999 confirmed, in the Spanish market, the right to sell garments with the word 'Nike' printed on them belonged to Cidesport.
The companies said they had reached agreement now because neither wanted the conflict to continue and both wanted to offer consumers greater clarity.
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