Béziers Rugby Logo Dispute Resolved: Court of Appeal Upholds Club Ownership
Béziers, France – A protracted legal battle over the ownership of the ASBH (Association Sportive Béziers Hérault) logo has concluded with the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal affirming previous rulings: the logo and brand rightfully belong to the ASBH association, not to Constance Calandri, who attempted to trademark it. The decision, reached in June 2025, confirms a July 11, 2024, judgment by the Marseille court.
The dispute originated on November 29, 2023, when Calandri filed a trademark for “ASBH” with the National Institute of Intellectual Property (INPI), arguing the logo had fallen into the public domain after the association’s initial 2010 registration lapsed after its ten-year validity period – a miscalculation by the association, who believed the term was 20 years. The ASBH promptly launched legal action, filing an “appeal for fraudulent deposit.” The court ordered Calandri to transfer ownership of the ASBH brands, pay €10,000 in damages, and €7,000 in legal costs, split between the association and the professional club.
Despite the association owning the logo, a regulated agreement linked to the Sports Code has been in place as 2017 allowing the professional club to use the brand and logo in exchange for a fee paid to Béziers Rugby, intended to support youth training. “It is indeed completely wrong to argue that the Pro club unduly paid € 128,000 to use the logo. It had to do it since the logo belonged to the association. The court confirmed this June 11,” stated M.e Marie Sonnier-Poquillon. The exact amount of the fee remains undisclosed.
