Messi and Más+ sued by Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime
Lionel Messi is being sued by Logan Paul’s hydration drinks firm Prime over claims of false advertising.
A false advertising complaint was filed last week in a Florida court alleging Inter Miami and Argentina superstar Messi had made contradictory statements about his collaboration with “Más+ by Messi” drinks.
Prime Hydration, a rival to Más+, alleges that the brand has conflicting and unlawful descriptions of Messi’s role in the company – and specifically the extent to which he was involved in its creation.
The World Cup winner is listed as a “founder” on the Más+ website but the footballer had said he “was not involved in the creation or design of the aesthetic appearance of the bottle or the label, and [has] no knowledge as to the specifics of that design process” in a separate legal battle with Prime in a New York Court over alleged anticompetitive efforts to monopolise the industry, according to Sportico.
Lionel Messi sued
Attorneys Joshua Brown and Herbert Finn of Greenberg Traurig alleged in Florida that Messi and the associated hydration brand partook in a misleading scheme “for the purpose of influencing consumers, distributors and retailers, to entice them to continue purchasing the Más+ by Messi product”.
Messi has also been accused of breaching the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices.
The Más+ website includes quotes from “Leo Messi, founder” which state that “good hydration is essential for our daily lives. So I went to work on a drink of my own.”
Prime Hydration was founded by a groups of influencers that includes YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul and British star KSI – real name Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji.
The beverage business has partnerships with the likes of WWE, UFC, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and the LA Lakers.
“Notably missing from Mr. Messi’s declaration [in New York],” Prime Hydration said in Florida documents, “are any claims, attestations or factual support that he ‘spent time searching’ for a drink.”
Attorneys for Messi and Más+ Next Generation Beverage Company declined to comment to Sportico.