Zaha Hadid Architects wins legal battle over right to use the late architect’s name
The ruling will allow the celebrated architecture firm to renegotiate its contract – and 6 per cent royalty fee – with the Zaha Hadid Foundation
When Zaha Hadid died unexpectedly in 2016, she left behind one of the most recognised names in the architectural profession.
Who, precisely, gets to use that name today, however, has been the subject of a lengthy legal battle between her eponymous architecture firm, Zaha Hadid Architects, and the charitable organisation dedicated to preserving her legacy, the Zaha Hadid Foundation.
Zaha Hadid, pictured in front of the Phaeno Science Center in Wolfsburg, Germany in 2005.
The legal stand-off concerns the intricacies of a 2013 contract, which established Hadid as the licensor (and therefore, the owner of her trademark), and her architecture firm as the licensee. The terms of the contract stipulated that, in exchange for using Hadid’s name, the firm would have to pay a royalty of six per cent of its net annual income ‘indefinitely.’ After Hadid’s death, though, the rights to her trademark shifted to the Foundation.
Zaha Hadid Architects, in a suit brought against the Foundation in 2024, sought to renegotiate the terms of that contract, arguing, according to legal filings, that the six per cent license fee was ‘too high’ and that ‘it has the right to terminate the contract on reasonable notice.’ The case was ultimately dismissed.
But Zaha Hadid Architects appealed the decision on multiple grounds, including that the contract was restricting the firm’s ability to conduct business. On 27 February, a London appeals court ruled in favour of the architecture firm, allowing it to end the terms of a licensing agreement with the Foundation.
An exterior view of the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan, which opened in 2012.
What happens next remains to be seen. According to the court filing, the architecture firm ‘wishes to continue to use the name Zaha Hadid.’ The firm also dispelled rumours of financial difficulties, noting in a statement shared with Wallpaper* that it has experienced ‘many consecutive years of record growth’ and has ‘health cash reserves.’
‘The practice will now engage in constructive discussions with the Foundation about an updated licence,’ the statement said, and ‘continue to honour Zaha Hadid’s legacy built over decades in developing acclaimed architecture across six continents.’
Changes to the licensing fee structure, though, could impact the Foundation’s operating budget and programmes, such as a scholarship for young architects.
A spokesperson for the Foundation said that it was ‘considering its options.’
