LONDON—Virgin Group won its trademark case against Alaska Airlines Inc. for approximately $160 million on Thursday, with a judge in London ruling that it is entitled to royalties even though the U.S. airline no longer uses the Virgin brand.
Virgin units Virgin Aviation TM Ltd. and Virgin Enterprises Ltd. argued Alaska is liable to pay a roughly $8 million “minimum royalty” payment every year until 2039.
It said a 2014 trademark license agreement between Virgin and Virgin America Inc., which was acquired by Alaska’s parent company in 2016, required the annual payment even if Alaska stopped using its branding.
Judge Christopher Hancock said in a written ruling on Thursday that the minimum royalty was “a flat fee payable for the right to use the Virgin brand, whether or not that right is taken up.”…