Wagering company CrownBet has been denied its wish for a rebrand, after rival Sportsbet drew first blood in their legal battle over naming rights.
CrownBet owner Matt Tripp has been wanting to change the company’s name to ‘Sportingbet’ – the name of his father’s old betting company – ever since a majority of the business was sold by James Packer’s Crown Resorts to The Stars Group in February.
The plan was for CrownBet to merge the brand with its most recent acquisition, William Hill, under the Sportingbet name.
However, Sportsbet submitted an application to the Federal Court to stop the rebrand, arguing that the similarity of Sportingbet to Sportsbet would likely “mislead or deceive” customers.
The Federal Court has granted a temporary ban on the name change, saying Sportsbet already had a “very high level of brand recognition”.
A CrownBet spokesperson said the company was “disappointed” with the ruling and will look at the decision closely and consider all of its options.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Sportsbet said the decision “demonstrates that the court shares our concern regarding the likelihood that consumers will be misled into thinking services offered under a Sportingbet brand are connected or associated with Sportsbet”.
“Sportsbet will continue to take all necessary action to protect its brand and prevent deception in the market, and will see the matter through to a final determination, if necessary.”
CrownBet has a deadline of August 26 to execute the rebrand.
