A famed Florida nightclub is seeking to block the LIV Golf League from registering the name as a trademark, the Palm Beach Post reported Wednesday.
The LIV nightclub, which is in the Fontainebleau Miami Beach luxury hotel along the area’s Millionaire’s Row, contends in its notice of opposition that the upstart golf league’s trademarks are “visually, phonetically, and aurally similar and the goods/services share similarities.”
The club was founded in 2008 and is ranked one of the top five nightspots in the country by Soundcloud. Its customers are A-list celebrities and athletes, with Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney among those who have spent time there. LeBron James and Dewyane Wade celebrated a Miami Heat NBA title at the club, where some of the biggest names in music have performed.
Sports Business Journal reported that the nightclub makes the case in its court filing that LIV Miami has trademarks to the name that have been registered “across the globe.” The cause to oppose the golf league’s trademark request is that “consumers will believe the LIV Golf trademarks are affiliated with or endorsed by” LIV Miami and “the registration of the LIV Golf trademarks will dilute the distinctive quality” of the club’s trademarks.
The nightclub owes its name to the significance of the number 54 in its history. The Fontainebleau was opened in 1954, and the club has been referred to as the Studio 54 of Miami, referring to the legendary New York club.
The league took the name because it plays 54-hole tournaments.
It’s not the only court action involving LIV Golf. The Saudi-backed league has an antitrust case pending against the PGA Tour.
–Field Level Media