BetEasy launch counterstrike in Sportsbet/Sportingbet fight

Australian online sports betting operator BetEasy has asked a court to force rival Sportsbet to rebrand, the latest skirmish in an increasingly testy legal tiff over gambling brand identity.

In June, Sportsbet – the down under brand of UK gambling giant Paddy Power Betfair – filed a trademark infringement suit to block rival Crownbet’s plan to rebrand its operations as Sportingbet. In July, a Federal Court granted Sportsbet’s request for a temporary injunction against the proposed rebranding.

On Wednesday, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Beteasy – the brand that Crownbet ultimately chose as its new moniker in August – had filed a lawsuit asking the Court to cancel the Sportsbet trademark, essentially redirecting that company’s own claim of market confusion back on itself.

If all this has left you confused, here’s a primer: Sportingbet was a standalone betting brand until it was acquired by William Hill in 2013, only to be retired two years later after Hills rebranded all its Aussie operations under its own umbrella.