KUALA LUMPUR: SEDANIA Innovator Bhd's associate company, Esports Pty Ltd (ESPL) has secured trademark registration in European Union (EU) countries.

In a statement today, SEDANIA, which is an innovative technology solutions group, said the exercise is crucial in protecting the registration of intellectual property in all EU nations.

"With the initiated exercise, ESPL is strengthening its position as a key player in the eSports ecosystem in the region.

"ESPL's network has access to a global audience of over 91 million with strategic partners across 16 countries and serving five regions, including the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, South Asia, Latin America, and Southeast Asia," it said.

SEDANIA founder and managing director, Datuk Azrin Mohd Noor said the ESPL trademark registration is part of its strategic move for market expansion.

"With this, ESPL is establishing its commercial presence in EU countries," he said.

Industry experts have predicted that eSports is expected to continue growing rapidly over the next fiveyears.

It is projected to reach US$1.6 billion (US$1=RM4.22) in revenue by 2023, while a report from global provider of games and eSports analytics Newzoo stated that eSports audience will grow to over 645 million globally by 2023.

Azrin believes that the numbers will continue to proliferate and is confident that ESPL will continue to grow its brand presence in the right direction.

"Our effort in obtaining the trademark registration in all EU countries is one of the key strategic stepsin protecting our global brand internationally.

"It is important for ESPL to uniquely distinguish ourselves and at the same time, safeguard the interest of our growing number of users," he said.

-- BERNAMA