It seems the club did not make representations at the hearing which seems a mistake if they were opposed to the application for their trademark to be cancelled albeit one understands that the prospect must have seemed daunting. Similarly, it is an established part of trademark law that owners of trademarks must seek to protect their mark if they wish to seek to benefit from them so one understands why the stadium wished to question this.
At the same time, f*** the FA and all those that take such a heavy-handed approach to matters that surely could be resolved in a much more sensitive and mutually satisfactory manner. F*** the lot of them.
The FA live in a bubble sucking at the Premiership to the detriment of all.
Like any small business Wembley can’t afford legal representation versus an organisation such as the FA and why should they? It’s a sham of a case. I can’t think come May fans from all points of the compass will be flocking to the wrong Wembley for play offs and cup finals.
@TheAndyGrahamFanClub : I think it's more a case of product marketing than people going to the wrong ground.
There is mention in the judgement of some products, including beer and clothing, which Wembley FC perhaps were selling or intending to sell. Certainly, their trademark allowed for them to use the mark on a very wide range of things - there's an enormous list in the judgement. I can't see any sign of any branded merchandise for sale on their website,beyond scarves and programmes, so it may have been in the hypothetical. But I assume it was this that led to the action rather than concern that FC might have diverted fans away from the stadium and into their matches!
@HCblue my personal feeling is that if Wembley FC had to spend as much as a stamp to fight this with the FA its a stamp wasted. I respect that the FA wants to protect their IP but common sense? Maybe if they were after a proper breach of IP they should go to any market across the land and stop fake England shirts and merchandise. Not pick on a club that has been going for 70 years.
Comments
Interesting one. Here's the judgement of the EU's intellectual property division: http://blog.trademarkers.com/wembley-decision-0013867/
It seems the club did not make representations at the hearing which seems a mistake if they were opposed to the application for their trademark to be cancelled albeit one understands that the prospect must have seemed daunting. Similarly, it is an established part of trademark law that owners of trademarks must seek to protect their mark if they wish to seek to benefit from them so one understands why the stadium wished to question this.
At the same time, f*** the FA and all those that take such a heavy-handed approach to matters that surely could be resolved in a much more sensitive and mutually satisfactory manner. F*** the lot of them.
Is this the same FA that have been repeatedly deemed "not fit for purpose " by a review panel and been warned that government monies may be withdrawn?
The FA live in a bubble sucking at the Premiership to the detriment of all.
Like any small business Wembley can’t afford legal representation versus an organisation such as the FA and why should they? It’s a sham of a case. I can’t think come May fans from all points of the compass will be flocking to the wrong Wembley for play offs and cup finals.
@TheAndyGrahamFanClub : I think it's more a case of product marketing than people going to the wrong ground.
There is mention in the judgement of some products, including beer and clothing, which Wembley FC perhaps were selling or intending to sell. Certainly, their trademark allowed for them to use the mark on a very wide range of things - there's an enormous list in the judgement. I can't see any sign of any branded merchandise for sale on their website,beyond scarves and programmes, so it may have been in the hypothetical. But I assume it was this that led to the action rather than concern that FC might have diverted fans away from the stadium and into their matches!
@HCblue my personal feeling is that if Wembley FC had to spend as much as a stamp to fight this with the FA its a stamp wasted. I respect that the FA wants to protect their IP but common sense? Maybe if they were after a proper breach of IP they should go to any market across the land and stop fake England shirts and merchandise. Not pick on a club that has been going for 70 years.
Preaching to the choir, @TheAndyGrahamFanClub .