(Bloomberg) -- Fanatics Inc. has halted orders of its sports merchandise to Australia amid a legal battle over trademarks.
“Due to an ongoing trademark dispute in Australia, until further notice, Fanatics is no longer fulfilling orders from, or otherwise selling/shipping goods to, customers in Australia,” reads a statement posted to the Fanatics e-commerce site. Customers can still return items bought on or before September 10 through the Fanatics website.
An Australian federal court ruled in July that Fanatics infringed on trademarks belonging to local sports travel company FanFirm. The two parties had coexisted in Australia for years and had several squabbles over the name.
“Fanatics disagrees with the court’s judgment and immediately filed an appeal, which is being heard on an expedited basis,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
Fanatics has accelerated its push into Australia with its sports fan gear in recent years, signing deals with retailer Rebel Sport, local teams and the Australian Football League. Its executives have said the market has been historically under-served in terms of selection and distribution.
Closely held Fanatics continues to run its partners’ merchandise operations in Australia without disruptions because they weren’t impacted by the judgment.
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