Liverpool has successfully won a trademark for the Liver Bird with the Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office of the European Union (TMDREU), reports euFootball.BIZ There was controversy when it became apparent that the football club was pursuing this trademark and it was thought that the Reds decided to not pursue it following discussions with the city council.
Now, it has become apparent that both the city and the football club worked out a deal for applying for trademarks for this famous city symbol.
The city council is applying for a trademark with the UK Intellectual Property Office. The idea is that both agencies can protect their interests and crack down on misuse of the symbol.
Council leader Joe Anderson said: "When Liverpool FC first raised the issue of registering the Liver Bird logo, it caused a lot of concern that charities and other organisations which used the Liver Bird on their literature and promotional material would be unable to do so in the future.
"The club's aim is to stop counterfeiters from cashing in by using the badge on pirated goods and they do not want to stop the logo being used legitimately.
"We are happy to help them in these aims and the agreement we reached means the club can protect its Liver Bird logo, other organisations can continue to use the Liver Bird and the council will be able to protect its design of the image. The Liver Bird belongs to the people of Liverpool and the council is committed to doing all it can to make sure it remains that way."
A spokesperson for the Liverpool club said: "Our position was always to solely seek to protect our specific version of the Liver Bird to stop its use in counterfeit Liverpool FC merchandise.
We never intended to challenge the usage by the council or other charity or community groups of their version of the Liver Bird, and were delighted to work with the local authority on this matter."
The club filed for the trademark with TMDREU in January and it was granted in July. It is valid until 2020 and covers a variety of merchandise from clothing to key rings.
