We have more news relating to Formula 1, as the trophies to be awarded in yesterday’s US Grand Prix, that took place in Austin, Texas, had to be changed last minute because of potential copyright infringement. Italian tyre manufacturer, Pirelli & C. S.p.A (“Pirelli”) designed a set of trophies named “Heroo” in collaboration with Italian designer Matteo Macchiavelli. The original trophies were human-shaped figures holding their hands in the air with each one wearing a helmet with circular style ears attached thereto and bearing the metallic colours of gold, silver and titanium to represent the first, second and third places in the race to be awarded accordingly.
Pirelli were made aware that the trophies resembled cartoon-style bear sculptures by the brand BE@RBRICK, which are designed and produced by Japanese company MediCom Toy Incorporated. As a result, Pirelli decided to drop the trophies and instead the winners Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen who placed top-three in the race (respectively) on the Circuit of the Americas track, were awarded different and more generic trophies to the ones originally designed.
In Pirelli’s original press release showcasing the special trophies, it stated that a limited number of replicas of Heroo would be produced and available for purchase. However, following the change of trophies, it is unknown whether the replicas will still be produced, but as the original press release on Pirelli’s website has since been removed, we presume this is no longer the case. This shows the importance of doing your due diligence before launching a new brand or product.
If you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to contact the team at McDaniels Law on 0191 281 4000 or legal@mcdanielslaw.com.
