November 15, 2019
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The United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office has rejected an application by Liverpool FC to trademark the word “Liverpool” due to the “geographical significance” of the city. The application caused controversy among Liverpool FC supporters, who welcomed the Intellectual Property Office’s decision in a statement that said the decision was a “victory for common sense” and that the word “belongs to the city of Liverpool and its people.”
A Liverpool FC spokesperson stated that they accept the decision of the Intellectual Property Office, but will “continue to aggressively pursue those large-scale operations which seek to illegally exploit our intellectual property”. The club made the application to prevent people from benefiting from inauthentic products, claiming the trademark it was seeking was solely “in the context of football products and services”.
Authors: Scott Kerr and Matt McDonald
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