BEIJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian swimming Olympic champion Cesar Cielo has won his fight to stop his nation's leading credit card supplier from using "Cielo" as its name, according to Swimvortex.com Thursday.
A federal court judge Marcia Maria Nunes de Barros is reported to have given "Cielo", a brand name for the credit card company adopted in July 2010, 180 days in which to stop using the swimmer's first name in its nationwide campaigns and branding. Falure to comply will result in a 50,000 U.S. dollars fine on each day beyond the deadline, O Globo reports.
The dispute between the two parties began in 2012 when Cielo filed a lawsuit against the the financial outfit behind "Cielo" and the INPI - National Industrial Property Institute. The name Cielo replaced VisaNet in an attempt to achieve better market recognition in Brazil.
The Judge ruled: "Undoubtedly, when choosing the new brand, the defendant company had full knowledge of the renowned [status] of the name [of the swimmer]."