© David Iliff/Wikimedia and Kellogg
Cereal manufacturer Kellogg’s is taking legal action against Australian tennis player Thanasi Kokkinakis to stop him using his nickname Special K for commercial purposes.
Kellogg’s, which has owned the rights to the Special K trademark in Australia for 59 years, launched court proceedings with the 21-year-old professional to prevent him using the Spacial K as part of a branding campaign.
Kokkinakis aims to follow the likes of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer who have used their names to create multimillion-dollar brands to market clothes and fragrances.
A spokeswoman for Kellogg’s told AFP that Kokkinakis had tried to register his own trademark which led to legal action being taken. The hearing began in Adelaide today (Thursday).
“Special K is obviously an iconic cereal brand for Kellogg’s in Australia and a favourite breakfast cereal of Australia,” a spokesperson for the company’s Australian division told the Adelaide Advertiser.
Kokkinakis reached a career-high of 65 in the ATP rankings, but has since been plagued by injuries, managing only one match in 2016. He and fellow Australian Nick Kyrgios, who play doubles together, are often referred to in the media as the Special Ks.
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