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FC Liverpool vs. trademark

FC Liverpool vs. trademark

Every football fan knows the winner of the last Champions League – FC Liverpool, which plays in the English Premier League on a daily basis. However, this time we will not write about the successes of the English team, but about their failure in the field of intellectual property protection. Recently, an idea emerged in the minds of the management of The Reds. There would be nothing strange about it if it weren't for the fact that the idea was quite peculiar and, at the same time, aroused widespread controversy. What was it about? FC Liverpool applied to the intellectual property office for a protective right for the trademark "Liverpool". In principle, there would be nothing strange about it if the name of the club was not also the name of the city from which the English team comes. The justification for the application was the fact that many counterfeit and non-original products were labeled with the club's name, which could lead consumers to associate them with the English club, which could translate into a negative perception of the team.

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Can a city name be a trademark?

As one might easily guess, the response from the authorities did not take long to arrive. In an official statement, the club confirmed that it had received the rejection decision. The intellectual property office, which reviewed the application, decided to reject it on the grounds that the term “Liverpool” has significant geographical importance, as it is the name of a city, and therefore the football club cannot have exclusive rights to use such a designation. In the official statement, the club accepted the decision and stated that it had acted in good faith and with the sole purpose of protecting the interests of the club and its fans.

Liverpool – not exclusive to FC.

Regardless of the authorities’ decision, the very fact that The Reds submitted such a request sparked huge controversy, not only among fans and other clubs, but also among city officials. The mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, was among those who expressed outrage over the matter. Interestingly, the decision of the authorities was also commented on by the fan group Spirit of Shankly, which officially announced that it was pleased with the outcome and the fact that FC Liverpool would not appeal the decision.

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A city’s name cannot be monopolized for the benefit of a company or organization.

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