LIV Golf has been no stranger to the courtroom since its inception last year, with ongoing litigation with the PGA Tour and the outcome of the hearing to determine the future of its players on the DP World Tour expected at some point from April.
However, aside from its legal battles with its rival circuits, it is also embroiled in court action with a famous Miami-based nightclub.
LIV Golf has attempted to register its trademarks, but that has run into opposition from the venue, which is also called LIV.
The nightclub, which opened in 2008 and is the brainchild of hospitality entrepreneur David Grutman, has objected to LIV Golf’s trademarks in a Notice of Opposition, claiming that they are “visually, phonetically and aurally similar and the goods/services share similarities”. The filings also state that the nightclub’s trademarks are licensed across the globe and have been in use for 15 years.
The filing concludes that consumers will believe the LIV Golf trademarks are affiliated with or endorsed by LIV Miami and that their registration will dilute the distinctive quality of the nightclub’s trademarks.
There are two main reasons for LIV Golf’s name – LIV is the Roman numeral for 54, which is the number of holes played in each of its tournaments. It is also the lowest score you could shoot if you were to birdie every hole on a par-72 course.
As for how the nightclub came by its name, its location, the Fontainbleau Hotel, was built in 1954, while it has also been dubbed Miami’s Studio 54 after the famous New York venue.
Golf Monthly has contacted LIV Golf for comment.