Logan Paul’s Prime sues Más+ claiming Lionel Messi did not create the sports drink

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Dive Brief:

• Influencer Logan Paul’s Prime Hydration is suing sports drink competitor Más+ by Messi for allegedly making misleading statements about professional athlete Lionel Messi’s involvement in the product’s creation and development.
• Attorneys for Prime say that Más+ falsely claims in its marketing materials and on its website that Messi is a founder for the brand and was involved in the creation of the beverage.
• Prime claims Más+ used the success of the influencer-founded brand “as a roadmap or blueprint” to create a competing hydration beverage offering. The narrative that Messi founded the brand is meant to increase sales and is at the “detriment” of Prime, the complaint states.

Dive Insight:

The complaint, filed Oct. 9, adds to an already existing legal battle between the hydration brands.

Last year, Más+ holding company Mark Anthony Group – which also owns White Claw and Mike’s Hard Lemonade – sued Prime, alleging it started a social media campaign claiming the two brands look alike “in an effort to seed claims of confusion.” Litigation is ongoing.

Prime’s latest lawsuit escalates the feud by claiming Más+ “set out to copy Prime Hydration’s success” with a hydration brand associated with a celebrity. Instead of focusing on alleged similarities between the brands, however, the lawsuit takes aim at Messi’s involvement with Más+.

Prime claims Messi did not start working on the drink on his own, but rather was presented with the product by the Mark Anthony Group. The beverage company then licensed his name, image, signature and likeness for the product. Attorneys claim Más+ has harmed Prime through the loss of retail space across the U.S..

Prime is seeking a jury trial as well as monetary damages for alleged lost profits. In addition to naming the Mas+, the lawsuit was also filed against Messi himself. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

A spokesperson for Mark Anthony Group didn’t immediately respond to Food Dive’s request for comment.

The hydration beverage market is expanding, with many companies vying to cash in on the trend. The global electrolyte drinks market is projected to reach $74.19 billion in 2034, according to Precedence Research.