The Swedish horse racing wagering monopoly, AB Trav och Galopp (ATG), has initiated legal proceedings against Svenska Spel, claiming that its newly introduced Svenska Spel Trav och Galopp horse racing offering infringes upon its trademark.
Per Ericsson, ATG’s legal representative from the law firm Gulliksson, stated that ATG registered the term “Trav och Galopp” with the Swedish Companies Registration Office in 1973.
Ericsson elaborated that this implies Svenska Spel is violating ATG’s exclusive right to the trademark by employing the term.
“We have brought this matter to the attention of Svenska Spel, but Svenska Spel has still opted to continue using Trav och Galopp in its promotion of horse racing betting,” he remarked. “Consequently, we are now choosing to pursue legal action against Svenska Spel, which will be adjudicated by the Patent and Market Court.”
In September, Svenska Spel introduced the Trav och Galopp product in partnership with Pari-Mutuel Urbain (PMU) in France, which ignited a verbal dispute between ATG CEO Hasse Lord Skarplöth and Svenska Spel’s counterpart Patrik Hofbauer.
Skarplöth charged Svenska Spel Trav och Galopp’s debut with causing a reduction in ATG earnings, which would deprive the Swedish horse racing business of essential funding.
Hoffstedt answered these accusations in an online post, refuting the claims and arguing that they had been negotiating a financing deal with the Swedish horse racing governing body Svensk Travsport.
After the news of the lawsuit, Skarplöth said his company “doesn’t mind rivalry.”
“ATG believes competition is beneficial,” he said. “But it must be conducted within the existing regulations and rights.
“Protecting our brand is our responsibility to our owners Svensk Travsport and Svensk Galopp and the tens of thousands of people across the nation working in the equestrian industry,” he explained. “ATG is the only betting firm that contributes to the well-being of equestrian sports, so this is about safeguarding the future of Swedish horse racing.”
Despite Skarplöth’s calls for a mandatory tax on horse racing profits, rather than just targeting ATG, the Swedish Gambling Market Commission (Spelmarknadsutredningen) chair Anna-Lena Sörenson dismissed these calls in October.
ATG reported that its revenue in the third quarter of 2020 increased by 18.3% year-on-year to SEK 1.38 billion (£120.4 million/€133.3 million/$157.6 million), of which SEK 1.19 billion came from Swedish horse racing.
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