Westlife in bitter fight over naming rights

IRISH boyband Westlife and a German tobacco firm have become involved in a bitter legal battle over attempts to have their names registered as trademarks.

A five-year dispute between the chart-topping pop group and the manufacture of West cigarettes will end up in the European Court of Justice next week.

The EU Court of First Instance will hear an application on Tuesday from Reemark seeking to quash the official recognition of Westlife as a trademark.