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The legal battle in Brazil even led to allegations of "bad faith" and potential prison sentences of 1–4 years for FIFA executives, including president Gianni Infantino. Impact on the Sport

Court rulings and estimates have placed FIFA’s total liability at approximately $100 million to $120 million .

In 2022, a major legal turning point occurred in the long-standing battle between , the Brazilian inventor of the vanishing spray, and FIFA , football's world governing body. After years of litigation, a higher court overturned a previous 2020 ruling that had initially favored FIFA, decreeing that the organization must pay material damages for patent infringement and Allemagne's lost profits. Background: A "Game-Changing" Invention The legal battle in Brazil even led to

FIFA initially agreed to pay Allemagne approximately $40 million for the rights to the invention.

Following these legal defeats, the use of vanishing spray has quietly diminished or disappeared from various major competitions as FIFA attempts to avoid further fines while navigating the loss of patent rights. The case remains a landmark example of a "David vs. Goliath" intellectual property battle, where a single inventor successfully held a global sports giant accountable for millions in damages. The Battle Over Vanishing Spray | Hackaday After years of litigation, a higher court overturned

Heine Allemagne spent 15 years developing the water-based, vanishing aerosol foam used by referees to mark free-kick distances.

While a lower court originally ruled against Allemagne in 2020, the 2022 appeal victory solidified his claim. The financial consequences for FIFA are substantial: The case remains a landmark example of a "David vs

Following the death of a key contact within FIFA, the organization reportedly slashed its offer to $500,000 and began using unauthorized "copycat" versions of the spray. The 2022 Legal Breakthrough and Its Costs