Australian tennis star, Thanasi Kokkinakis is involved in a legal battle with FMCG giants, Kelloggs, over the usage of his Special K nickname.
The 21-year old Australian wants to use the Special K trademark on his clothing gear and other merchandise. But Kelloggs have owned the rights to this trademark for over 60 years in Australia.
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Kelloggs obviously have an issue with Kokkinakis using it as a branding symbol, which is why they are fighting a legal battle. This is what a Kellogg’s spokes person said,
“The Kokkinakis Company has applied to register Special K as a trademark and we are defending our trademark,” a Kellogg’s spokesperson told the BBC.
“Special K is obviously an iconic cereal brand for Kellogg’s in Australia,” a spokeswoman for the company’s Australian division told the newspaper.
The case will now return to federal court on the 31st of August after Justice Brigitte Markovic sent the case to a mediation conference. Markovic gave Kellogg’s extra time to change its statement of claim. This also allows Kokkinakis a chance to file for defence.
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The iconic cereal first appeared on the US market in 1955. Throughout its history it has been marketed as a low-fat, low-sugar breakfast targeted at dieters.
After a frustrating run of injuries over the last couple of years, Kokkinakis fell out of the world top 1000. He admitted last week that his spell on the sidelines had a demoralizing effect on him. “It’s been shit-house,” Kokkinakis said.
Let’s see what happens now !
