Today marks a huge victory for Liverpool fans everywhere as the Reds’ owners FSG lost a key legal battle over the trademarking of the word “Liverpool”. Kopites had been up in arms over the move to try and copyright the club’s and the city’s name. The consensus was that the area’s soul was not for sale and that just because you won us a Champions League doesn’t mean you can start taking liberties…and our name. Hozah, the Liverpool trademark is dead.
Liverpool lose key legal battle. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Well backed Liverpool supporters’ group The Spirit of Shankly organised a mass protest against the owners, encouraging Kopites to wear only independent sellers’ merchandise to the home game against Newcastle on the 14th of September.
The Independent has reported that the attempt to copyright the name was unsuccessful and chairman Peter Moore was magnanimous in defeat. He is quoted as saying “we accept the decision and the spirit in which it has been made…our thanks to all those who engaged with us throughout this process, most notably independent traders and local football clubs.”
The key issue that surrounded the resentment for the move was the contribution that independent sellers have made to Liverpool’s fan culture over the years. These independent traders have been a cornerstone of the Kopite identity for decades, their inventiveness and love for the club has helped decorate the teams’ fans at some of our most glorious moments. For Liverpool to seek to thwart the creativity and the livelihoods of these traders was a travesty. Reds’ supporters everywhere should be celebrating, the Liverpool trademark is dead. Long live Liverpool.