Manchester United lead the way with Trademark filings

Modern sport is not just about performance on the field, with teams becoming global brands, and there is nowhere this is more apparent than in soccer. Here, it’s not just teams that have become brands, the competitions themselves are globally recognized names in their own right. None more do than the English Premier League, which features some of the world’s best-known sports brands, including Arsenal, Liverpool and biggest of them all, Manchester United.

As with any business, Intellectual Property is extremely important for sports brands, and we can see just how important by the number of registered trademarks they have. Teams from the English Premier League have an average of 91 trademarks each, however this is skewed heavily to five brands that all have over 100 trademarks, with half the teams having less than 30 registered marks each.

Far and away the biggest holder of registered trademarks is Manchester United, with 479 in total. That not only makes them the holder of most registered trademarks in the English Premier League, but of any soccer brand. The brands that compete with Manchester United for most valuable in sport, Barcelona and Real Madrid, hold 390 and 315 respectively for instance.

While it may be unsurprising that a global business brand holds numerous registered trademarks, it is interesting to see the kind of IP they are protecting. In fact, the numbers continue to grow as last year Manchester United registered 66 trademarks, and a closer look at where the trademarks are held can help us see why.

The 479 filed or registered trademarks are spread between several jurisdictions, the UK (50), the EU (36), the U.S. (8), international protection (26), and a further 359 that cover other jurisdictions. This gives is a picture of why Manchester United are increasing their trademark filings so quickly, and why they have so many more than other brands. The key is in market reach.

Manchester United have marketing programs in countries all over the world, continually expanding their reach to open up new markets, and this is where they also require further IP protection. As they enter new markets, trademarks are registered to protect what is currently the most valuable brand in sports.

An example to follow

For any business, Manchester United are a great example of protecting your intellectual property even during expansion. Brand recognition enables organizations to reach new markets, but it is important to remember that the IP that attracted customer attention in those markets may not necessarily be properly protected in that new region.

From adjusting slogans and logos to fit a different language or culture, to simply a new legislative environment, protecting your IP is not a one-time thing. As a business grows and changes over time, it is crucial that trademark needs are constantly evaluated, and where necessary further filings undertaken to maintain the protection the brand needs.