davieG Posted 3 December 2016 Posted 3 December 2016 Leicester City has filed a fresh application to stop the Blue Army tag being used on knock-off merchandise. The club wants protection for the name – given to passionate City supporters – to stop it being used without permission on everything from clothing to sporting events, baby bibs and booties, beer mats and even knickers. The club has had an official trademark on the slogan for 20 years, but it came up for renewal earlier this year. A new application has since been made. Even if a trademark has lapsed, it is unlikely any unofficial manufacturer would be able to successfully argue their case in court . The club has applied to register the name as an official trademark in the latest list of applications filed at the Intellectual Property (IP) Office. Watch: Clip of young Leicester City fans celebrating Riyad Mahrez's penalty goes viral According to the Government office, other trademarks owned by the club include the fox and crop image used on its branded clothes; the Fox and Crop slogan; the name Filbert Fox, as well as various Leicester City badges and shields. Trademarks for a number of images and terms – including a cartoon Filbert Fox – appear to have lapsed, according to the IP Office website. Steven Mather is a trademark specialist and a partner in the Market Harborough office of Josiah Hincks Solicitors. He said: "Looking at the IP website, Blue Army has been registered by Leicester City since 1996 and was due for renewal. "Doing this gives them protection and is a common thing to do. "Over the years, for instance, Manchester United have registered something like 124 trademarks including the club emblem, "MUFC", "Theatre of Dreams" and "Old Trafford". "The fans will still be called the Blue Army but it's to stop other commercial entities coming in and using that branding. "So if there is someone on a market selling knock off T-shirts, then it makes it a lot easier to stop them. "Trademarks can cover a number of categories and lawyers try to cover everything they can so there is no defence for an infringement. "Organisations such as football clubs have to protect themselves." Read more: Leicester City's victory parade crowned best free event of the year at tourism awards Companies, organisations and individuals can apply to register names and logos as trademarks in order to set their business and its products or services apart from those of others. Trademark owners can enforce their trademarks as a means of preventing others from using identical, or even, in some cases, similar names and logos. Two months are allowed from the time the application to register a trademark is published for objections to be made. If there are objections the time is extended by a further month for those objections to be considered and for a decision to be reached on whether or not to allow registration. Read more at http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/leicester-city-file-fresh-application-to-stop-blue-army-tag-being-used-on-knock-off-merchandise/story-29953737-detail/story.html#f9VI4PleHPGlyXTI.99
Wymsey Posted 3 December 2016 Posted 3 December 2016 I rarely see or hear the 'Blue Army' slogan around the stadium, only more when we were in the Championship or League 1. Suppose 'Foxes Never Quit' or 'Fearless Foxes' will be next, preferably the former.
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