'Dos a Cero' (R)

U.S. Soccer is trying to trademark 'Dos a Cero'

A rallying cry forged by fans could soon be owned by U.S. soccer. A trademark filing from late June shows that "Dos a Cero" has been registered as a trademark, which could limit how much the phrase is used in the future. ...

See the whole story here courtesy of SB Nation.

Kicking Back Comments: I can see it now, US Soccer jerseys with "Dos a Cero" on them. While being mildly sarcastic I am glad to see US Soccer IP rights are worth protecting. A casual search of TESS shows quite a few US Soccer and Major League Soccer related marks.

While it may not be "sexy" it is certainly an indiction of a willingness to spend money to protect what some would see as a future revenue stream.

... and Speaking of Lawsuits ...

Soccer governing body sues over player images

A dispute over U.S. soccer players' images has landed in federal court.

U.S. Soccer Federation Inc. filed a lawsuit against the U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association this month asking a judge in Chicago to loosen some constraints on the use of players' images.

The Chicago-based federation is U.S. soccer's governing body. The association is the union for the men's national team. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of ksl.com.

Kicking Back Comments: I am actually glad to see this. While like anything else of this type it is about money, it demonstrates a shift to me that there is pecuniary value for the rights of the intellectual property of American players.

While often reserved to the "other major sports" in the US, it is pleasing to see folks "fighting" over the use of players images.

While I am sure not worth what a Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers image is, the fact there is a (no doubt expensive) lawsuit over the topic speaks volumes.

And speaking of intellectual property rights ...

Tottenham's Gareth Bale applies to trademark his goal celebration

Tottenham forward Gareth Bale is attempting to cash in on his new-found fame by filing an application to trademark his goal celebration, a heart-shaped hand gesture he dedicates to his long-time girlfriend. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of cbc sports.

Kicking Back Comments: While his specific logo is likely a viable trademark, his on field gesture certainly is not as if you google "hand heart", it is pretty much out there in general use, and has been for some time.

For any interested, a fairly extensive discussion on the topic can be found here. I was interested to find the Bass Brewery Logo was the 1st image to be registered as a trademark in 1875.

Beating up on the little guy in Brazil

SAP, Pfizer-Teva, FIFA, Agilent: Intellectual Property

Trademark
FIFA Says Brazil World Cup Soccer Trademark Abuse More Than 2010

Soccer’s governing body FIFA said it found more cases of intellectual property infringement related to next year’s World Cup in Brazil than it did a year before South Africa hosted sports’ most-watched event in 2010.

Auke-Jan Bossenbroek, FIFA’s legal counsel responsible for protecting the Zurich-based organization’s trademarks, said action has been taken in the past six months against about 100 companies that don’t have permission to use protected words or logos related to the World Cup, which kicks off in Rio de Janeiro June 12, 2014. ...

See the whole article here, courtesy of Bloomberg.

Kicking Back Comments: I don't begrudge FIFA from enforcing their registered trademarks. They are property of FIFA and have every right to do so, and should for the future ability to do so.

Where I got a bit chapped was in the closing comment of the article, which states:

"Many of the cases in Brazil have been the result of local businesses not understanding the rules related to using World Cup logos, Bossenbroek said."

Now, not knowing the law is not an excuse, and I have to believe that most folks (everywhere), don't know the implications of trademark law. It does however smell a little heavy handed with a FIFA lawyer coming down on small shop owners in Brazil.

There are already wide reports of most locals not being bale to afford tickets, and FIFA has responded by providing 50K "free" tickets for use by the local folks (what actually happens, we'll see). 

I can see a similar argument here for "picking on" local shop owners for trademark violations. I'm not arguing that these are not violations, but there has to be a point of diminishing returns for FIFA. Not only is there a cost associated with finding these folks, but I also believe it to be bad form to make the guy wheeling around a trash barrel full of beer for $1 each take the photo of the FIFA World Cup(r) Trophy off his trash barrel.

It is all a bit too sterile for me. The locals are getting robbed blind ... again. Just let it go guys.