Loathe though I am to say it I love the new Liverpool and the way it plays football but I disagree they can TM the city name. That’s a no no.
The Guardian reports
Liverpool FC’s attempt to trademark the word “Liverpool” has been rejected by the government’s Intellectual Property Office due to the “geographical significance” of the city.
The club’s trademark application came to light two months ago, with the club insisting it was purely “in the context of football products and services” and to stop people benefiting from the sale of what they described as “inauthentic products” relating to Jürgen Klopp’s European champions.
Despite the club’s insistence that all revenue from protected services and products using the word would be channelled into reinvestment – namely on transfers and the stadium – the trademark attempt sparked outrage within Liverpool FC’s own fanbase, as well as from outside supporters and observers, including the Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson. Many welcomed the IPO’s decision on Thursday
In a statement, Liverpool FC said: “The club accepts the decision that has been taken by the Intellectual Property Office, due primarily to what the official judgement cites as ‘the geographical significance’ of Liverpool as a city in comparison to place names that have been trademarked by other football clubs in the UK. We will, however, continue to aggressively pursue those large-scale operations which seek to illegally exploit our intellectual property and would urge the relevant authorities to take decisive action against such criminal activity wherever it exists.”
