Mas+ by Messi drink distributor, Mark Anthony International, is hitting out at Prime Hydration for being “anti-competitive” in a new lawsuit against the sports drink company.
Back in June, Major League Soccer player Lionel Messi launched a new drink company, Mas+ by Messi. It features four flavors and is available in both bottles and cans.
Logan Paul and KSI’s fans almost immediately began to notice the similarity between Mas+ and Prime Hydration, calling out the brand on X for being a “ripoff” of the sports drink.
On October 8, 2024, Mas+ by Messi distributor Mark Anthony International filed a lawsuit against Prime Hydration seeking a declaratory judgment to confirm Mas+ is not copying Prime’s bottle design.
In the lawsuit, Mark Anthony claims that Prime reached out to the drink distributors shortly after launch with a demand that they cease sales of Mas+ by Messi until they change the packaging. The distributor also claims that Prime has threatened to sue for trademark and trade dress infringement.
The lawsuit argues that Prime is “seeking not only to prevent fair competition but also is trying to monopolize functional packaging elements that are commonplace in the hydration beverage industry”
It goes on to explain that Mark Anthony contacted an “experienced survey expert” to figure out if there was any likelihood consumers would confuse Prime and Mas+ by Messi.
“Unsurprisingly, the survey demonstrated no likelihood of confusion at all between the two products, which further supported Mark Anthony’s position that confusion is not likely,” it reads.
VitalLawMark Anthony’s complaint details the differences between both sports drink bottles and also mentions that marketing from Logan, KSI, and Messi helps distinguish the brands. It highlights Logan Paul’s “many highly publicized scandals since his emergence as a YouTube influencer” as one of the ways his involvement boosts the Prime brand.
It lists examples of his “scandals”, like “publishing a vlog making light of Japan’s Aokigahara” and “failing to release” his crypto video game – CryptoZoo.
“Because of these controversies and other public stunts, the public understands who Logan Paul is, and it can easily distinguish him and his business partners from Mr. Messi,” the suit states.
This lawsuit comes just days after Logan revealed the end of one of the most viral Prime Hydration claims since launch. On October 2, he revealed that the Prime Hydration “forever chemicals” lawsuit was dismissed by the judge over a year after it was filed.