Footballer Erling Haaland has launched an unexpected legal dispute against Norwegian Air. Is it about a logo? A brandmark, perhaps? No. It's all about his iconic hair.
While Haaland has since parted ways with his iconic do, it remains a signature part of his identity. Certainly one of the more unconventional celebrity brands, it's clear the footballer is keen to protect his image from unwanted advertising.
The dispute centres around a Norwegian Air campaign which saw the airline posting a cheeky social post with the star's signature man bun photoshopped on a plane. Hopping on this year's FIFA World Cup Haaland hype, the image was accompanied by the caption “We’ve never looked more Norwegian."
Despite the virality of his image during this summer's World Cup, Haaland's team claimed the lighthearted social post unlawfully exploited his likeness, identity, and visual branding.
According to Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang, Eivind Hammer Myhre, duty media officer at Norwegian Airlines, said, "It is unfortunate that cheers of support were met with a lawsuit, but we hope for a sensible dialogue so that in the future we too will be allowed to continue supporting our shared sporting heroes."
For more design dispute news, take a look at why New Balance sued this rival athletics brand or check out how Louis Vuitton won this logo battle despite fiery backlash.
