Entertainment
A legal battle between two big online betting firms has seen a new development, as the Maltese Civil Court ruled against Entain Operations Limited in its attempt to bring back a ban on its competitor SB Entertainment Limited, which runs Sportingwin.
Judge Highlights Procedural Flaws in Entain’s Trademark Dispute Filing
On July 9, 2025, Judge Ian Spiteri Bailey stated that Entain‘s plea to revive a previous court order did not follow the rules. The court pointed out that the filing failed to meet the strict procedural requirements laid out in Malta’s intellectual property laws under Chapter 488, which controls quick legal actions in these types of cases.
Entain, a big name in online betting and the owner of Sportingbet, tried to stop Sportingwin from using its name and logo. The company claimed that Sportingwin’s branding looked too much like Sportingbet’s and might confuse customers, causing big financial losses.
Earlier, in June 2024, a court in Malta had put a temporary ban on Sportingwin’s branding. However, in October 2024, this ban was lifted when another part of the court decided both companies had valid European trademarks. The first court did not give exclusive rights to either side, stressing that the trademarks had equal legal standing under EU law.
Judge Tells Entain to Focus on Trademark Dispute, Not Procedural Maneuvers
In this recent decision, the judge pointed out that Entain’s move to bring back the injunction was an incorrect legal step. The court emphasized that this case could not skip the official rules set by Malta’s special laws for disputes about intellectual property. In addition, the judge cautioned against turning procedural actions into long-term decisions without a complete trial.
SB Entertainment claimed that saying yes to Entain’s request would put a permanent stop in place before looking at the main trademark issues. The court seemed to agree with this worry, urging both companies to focus on solving the core trademark disagreement instead of chasing procedural tactics.
Even though a court threw out Entain’s latest legal challenge, the company is not giving up. It is still trying to cancel Sportingwin’s trademark through the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). However, this process could drag on for years, and there is no guarantee it will work out in Entain’s favor.This setback comes on the heels of another loss for Entain at the EUIPO. The company failed to stop an Italian rival Sportbet, from getting a trademark. This makes it even harder for Entain to protect its brand names across Europe.
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Silvia Pavlof