Multimillionaire Chelsea footballers David Luiz and Willian have been accused of using their wealth to threaten the business of an Italian restaurant owner in a bitter trademark row.
Roberto Cecchetti has claimed lawyers acting on behalf of a bistro owned by the Brazilian superstars “ambushed” him on April Fool’s Day.
The 48-year-old was forced to change the name of his restaurant Babbo within 24 hours after solicitors seized control of his social media platforms and threatened further action.
He said: “This is a classic David versus Goliath, only on this occasion Goliath’s had an easy win.”
The dispute started when the Stamford Bridge pair took over a restaurant in London’s upmarket Mayfair – also named Babbo – amid a blaze of publicity last year.
Within weeks of its star-studded opening night, lawyers sent Roberto a letter ordering him to “cease and refrain” from using the name, which is Italian for “daddy”.
The businessman was also urged to hand over the internet domain for his firm Babbo (Glasgow) Ltd.
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He claims he offered to negotiate a compromise through his solicitors Burness Paull – but heard nothing until last Monday when London-based law firm Keltie took over his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
It is understood solicitors contacted the social media giants and claimed Roberto had breached the UK Trade Marks Act 1994. The law firm was then able to freeze the accounts.
David Luiz, 32, and Willian, 30, are two of the most recognisable players in football with an army of fans worldwide.
But Roberto revealed he had never heard of them before being forced to relaunch his restaurant in Giffnock, near Glasgow, as Banco.
He claims the saga has cost him about £10,000 so far. The dad of five said: “They picked the right time to ambush me – April Fool’s Day. I’d never heard of Willian and David Luiz. My son told me who they are.
“But I’ve been bullied and threatened by their lawyers into changing my business’s name.
“I hardly know who anyone is because I’ve got my head down working 80 hours a week and trying to build a successful business.
“Guys like me can’t compete against footballers who earn more than £100,000 a week. They can pay lawyers anything they want – I’m lucky if I pay myself £100.
“It’s a rotten way to treat anyone. It’s aggressive and unreasonable but I’ve had to roll over and do what I’ve been told. If I had the finances, I would have challenged them.
“They took over my social media and I was locked out. I only got back in when I agreed to make the changes they wanted.”
Roberto opened Babbo in March 2016. David Luiz and Willian were unveiled as partners in their London restaurant when it held a launch party packed with famous faces last April.
A-list guests included Chelsea teammates Eden Hazard, Olivier Giroud and N’Golo Kante.
Liverpool’s Brazilian star Roberto Firmino and Paris Saint-Germain idol Neymar have also been customers.
Keltie informed Roberto that they acted on behalf of Babbo Restaurants Ltd and their premises had been closed for refurbishment before its high-profile relaunch. The name Babbo was registered as a trademark by the firm in 2009.
Roberto received a letter from their solicitors within a month of it reopening. By that time, he had been trading for two years.
Companies House records reveal that Amir Ali Kohansal – who is an FA-registered intermediary – is the firm’s sole director. Kohansal has links to Sports Invest Ltd, a London-based agency whose clients include David Luiz and Willian.
The most expensive meal on their menu is a T-bone steak, which costs £60. Roberto’s priciest dish is a fillet steak, which costs £24.50.
He added: “Part of the argument is that people will confuse my restaurant as being associated with theirs. It’s a ridiculous suggestion. This would be easier to understand if they were a national chain but they’re not.
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“I wanted to come up with a compromise because that’s what doing business is all about. I even suggested rebranding as ‘Babbo’s’ but that wasn’t acceptable.
“My lawyer responded to the letter but we didn’t hear anything back.
“I just assumed they had decided not to pursue me because it had been almost a year since they got in touch.
“Building a good restaurant takes years – it doesn’t happen overnight. But I doubt David Luiz and Willian work as hard as me in their restaurant.
“I’ve had to change my name. People will think I’ve closed and the place is under new management.”
Jamie Watt, intellectual property specialist at Glasgow-based solicitors Harper Macleod, said: “This sounds like a very unfortunate situation and the way it’s been handled appears to be quite rude.
“Intellectual property and trademark law can be complicated and I appreciate this man’s frustration.”
David Luiz and Willian have racked up about £175million in transfer fees between them. They are both said to be paid £120,000 a week at Chelsea.
David Luiz is in his second spell at the club, having rejoined from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth £35million in 2016. He is reported to be negotiating a new contract.
Willian joined the Blues in 2013 after signing from Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala for approximately £30million. He has been linked with a move to Spanish giants Barcelona, who are reportedly keen to sign him for £40million.
When we called Babbo, manager Roberto Di Rosa said: “David Luiz and Willian are the owners but David is more involved. I’ll ask him to contact you.”
When we tried to contact Kohansal at Sports Invest, a woman who answered the phone said: “Mr Kohansal is on a break but either he or someone else will call you back.”
Keltie refused to comment, citing “client confidentiality”.
Chelsea declined to comment but said our enquiry had been passed to the players’ representatives.
David Luiz and Willian could not be reached.
