Max Verstappen’s plan of releasing ‘Max 1’ clothing brand faces major hurdle from Nike

Max Verstappen has faced a backlash from Nike upon the naming of his new fashion brand, 'Max 1,' apparently so because of the similarity in the naming of both brands.

Apart from being the fastest on track, Max Verstappen has shown a great deal of interest in things that are least related to racing. One that has come to light is his new fashion brand, which was to be named 'Max 1.' However, there has been a dispute between him and Nike, the famous brand based in the US.

A report from De Limburger mentions that Nike took up the issue because of the name's similarity in Verstappen's brand and Nike's shoe range, the Air Max. It is thought that because the two will sound almost the same, with emphasis on the word Max, it could create confusion among the consumers and would perhaps make them think that it is an affiliation between the two brands.

The Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP), the region's trademark agency, has confirmed in their report about the investigation and opposition from Nike. The reasons for the opposition have also been listed in the same. Apparently, the issue is not solely with the naming of the brand.

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Max Verstappen's brand apparently also similar to Nike in visual terms

While the names Max 1 and Nike Air Max do sound very similar, the report from BOIP also reveals that both brands are identical visually. This has put a lot at stake for Max Verstappen's brand. The report states:

"Both signs contain the word MAX, albeit in a different place. In the trademarks invoked, the elements AIR and MAX have equal weight in the overall impression. In the contested sign, the emphasis is on the word MAX. The number 1 will be regarded as a specification of MAX. To that extent the signs agree."

It also emphasized the visual similarity between the two brands:

"The goods in question (Nike and Max) are partly identical and partly similar. Visually and aurally, there is a certain degree of similarity between the signs."

The report added to the public confusion about the naming of the brand to think of them as economically linked, as mentioned before. This could perhaps lead to Max Verstappen bringing in changes to his brand even before its formal launch.

Though this might be an obstruction for Max Verstappen off-track, the scenario is quite different for him in Formula 1. With Red Bull's RB19 being the perfect machinery to dominate the grid, the Dutchman has been up to it. The first two races of the season saw both him and Sergio Perez on the podium, though the duo switched places in Jeddah as Checo brought his car to victory.

There are quite a few expectations from the double world champion as F1 heads to Australia after he had to retire last season due to issues with his car.