Report – PL club in talks with West Brom to bolster off-field legal bid
Brighton are looking to team up with West Brom in an effort to trademark the word “Albion”, according to the Telegraph.
The national outlet suggest that the Premier League side are keen to submit an application to the Intellectual Property Office, and are hoping to recruit the Baggies and Burton Albion in an effort to bolster their legal battle.
It is understood that the primary intent behind the move is to protect fans from fake merchandise bearing the club’s likeness.
The Telegraph report that a West Brom represented has confirmed that the club are consulting with their own legal team over the possibility of joining forces with the Seagulls.
As well as protecting fans, Brighton are also hoping to safeguard their commercial assets from exploitation.
Similar moves from other Premier League clubs have been met with mixed results in the recent past.
Both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have successfully trademarked a variety of names and words associated with their respective brands.
Liverpool, on the other hand, were denied in their bid to copyright their name last September on the grounds of its geographical significance.
You would assume that West Brom would have an easier task on their hands if they were to try and trademark “Albion” though.
With no geographic considerations to speak of, it is a vital part of the club’s identity, and we are without doubt the team in England with the greatest level of association to the name.
In truth, that’s probably why Brighton are so eager for us to join forces with them.
The only immediate obstacle that we can foresee is how a trademark would impinge on the rights of much smaller clubs who use the name, such as Northern Premier League side Tadcaster Albion.
From a purely selfish point of view, however, assuming that it wouldn’t harm anybody else, trademarking part of our name would probably be a good thing for the club and its commercial interests.
In other West Brom news, Slaven Bilic names Baggies summer exit that left him ‘really sad’.