Sportsbet blocks CrownBet’s name change

The online bookmaker secured a court injunction to stop CrownBet from rebranding to Sportingbet due to its similar name.

Australia.- Sportsbet has succeeded with its emergency order, initiated in the Federal Court to stop CrownBet from changing its name to Sportingbet. According to the online operator, the rebranding would be “misleading or deceiving” for customers as the new name would be too similar to its own.

CrownBet had applied to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to get the name “Sportingbet Pty Ltd” back in June. The reason was that CEO Matt Tripp and his father were once owners of a company called Sportingbet, which was bought by William Hill in 2014. Nonetheless, their intentions were stopped, at least momentarily.

“This 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 said in a statement and added: “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.”