Tom Hicks and George Gillett have once again endeared themselves to the whole of Merseyside by sticking their sticky fingers where they don’t belong. This time they’re trying to patent the Liver bird for the club! Will these two goons ever quit?
It may be a mythical creature but the Liver bird has flown into a genuine storm in its native city after Liverpool Football Club applied to register the iconic image as a trademark. Liverpool have taken the measure to protect money otherwise lost to counterfeit merchandise. A furious council, however, has accused the club’s American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, of riding roughshod over the city’s heritage. Caught in the middle, the Liver bird anxiously awaits its fate.
The row erupted after Liverpool made a £450 application to trademark the image that adorns its crest with the UK Intellectual Property Office. The club already has trademarks on “This is Anfield” and the words “You’ll Never Walk Alone” on its official emblem and is seeking the hat-trick to safeguard “the substantial amount of money” it loses each year to counterfeiters. The club will not, it claims, prevent other legitimate organisations from using the Liver bird logo. (The Guardian)
Ok, I’ll admit that trademarking “This is Anfield” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” is a smart idea, but trademarking the Liver bird? Really, is that necessary? The club has now embroiled itself in another huge mess with Gillett and Hicks leading the charge. Who else would you expect to see at the forefront of a massive row in the city!
So what’s your take, Liverpool supporters? Are Hicks and Gillett taking the this trademarking a bit too far?