Overview
- Lionel Messi and his brand firm LMGM filed a federal trademark suit in New York accusing a mostly China-based network of selling knockoffs that use his registered mark on major online marketplaces.
- The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Edgar Ramos, and the defendants’ names are under seal until they can be served.
- The filing says the sellers used SEO, social ads, fake identities, rotating store accounts, and offshore payment setups to appear legitimate and to keep operating after takedowns.
- Messi seeks a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to halt sales and ads and to require platforms such as Temu and Walmart to disable linked seller accounts.
- The complaint asks for an accounting of profits and damages under the Lanham Act, including treble damages or statutory awards of $1,000 to $2 million per unauthorized use, with Boies Schiller Flexner leading the case.