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HEAD Takes Its Case To Court |
By Richard Pagliaro
10/25/2001
Marat Safin has a new nemesis in court. Safin, who used a
HEAD Prestige racquet to win the 2000 U.S. Open title, signed
a contract to endorse Dunlop racquets in April of 2001. But
in a complaint filed in the District Court in Munich, Germany,
HEAD contends that Safin has continued to play with a HEAD
Prestige racquet painted over with the Dunlop logo appearing
on the strings.
HEAD claimed that Dunlop justified the use of its logo because
it supplies the strings for Safin's racquet. In its complaint,
HEAD charged that the use of Dunlop's logo was unfair competition
as the logo "invariably indicates the origin of the racquet
and not the strings."
The German court granted an injunction against Safin and Dunlop
prohibiting the use of a large logo on the strings of the
racquet.
"By no means do we want Marat Safin to stop playing
with his usual racquet with which he secured one of his greatest
victories," HEAD executive vice president racquet sports
division Robert Marte said in a statement. "But we don't
think it is right to advertise another brand so flagrantly
using our racquet."
Tennis Week is trying to reach Dunlop for its response to
HEAD's charges.
courtesy tennisweek.com
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