Brand Protection

Nacho Novo

Well-Known Member
https://rangers.co.uk/club/brand-protection/

"RANGERS Football Club’s history, passionate fan base and association with success has made our name and club crests famous throughout the world.

Unfortunately this level of recognition has made the Club’s intellectual property a target for counterfeiters who use our trademarks on unapproved products that do not benefit the Club.

Unapproved products are produced with no input from the Club and are manufactured without the strict quality, safety and ethical standards that the Club seeks to ensure its suppliers adopt.

To protect our supporters and the goodwill of the Club’s trademarks, we take the defence of our intellectual property rights very seriously.

We encourage fans to always buy official to directly support the Club. Supporters can also assist the Club by reporting any information related to suspected counterfeit goods to brandprotection@rangers.co.uk.

All information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence and only shared with the relevant law enforcement agencies."

Good stuff Rangers, too many chancers out there trying to illegally make money out our trademarks, massive clamp down from the club on them all. Biggest one of all being Mike Ashley himself using OUR own Megastore against us!
 
Absolutely right for the club to protect the brand. Let’s be honest though, the majority of fake tops are picked up on foreign holidays, club needs to make it a priority with the kit supplier that all kits are released and available before peak holiday season so people can put their hard earned into the club. I’m not having a pop because clearly there’s been other issues at play around the retail deal, but they need to try to get this right going forward.
 
Absolutely right for the club to protect the brand. Let’s be honest though, the majority of fake tops are picked up on foreign holidays, club needs to make it a priority with the kit supplier that all kits are released and available before peak holiday season so people can put their hard earned into the club. I’m not having a pop because clearly there’s been other issues at play around the retail deal, but they need to try to get this right going forward.

No offence but that just sounds like an excuse for Rangers supports paying others to breach the club's copyright.
 
No offence but that just sounds like an excuse for Rangers supports paying others to breach the club's copyright.

Not sure I follow mate? I’m not defending folk buying fake tops, just saying commercially the club need to have stock ready and available to meet the customers need. Basic business sense in my opinion, people like wearing their teams colours on holiday and when the sun is out, so get the stock ready for sale in advance.
 
In the week we've had a media feeding frenzy continue to peddle the myth about us never signing a Catholic before 1989, there's a statement about brand protection because of fake replicas?

If we're serious about protecting the Rangers brand then let's have one of the media slugs financially ruined.
 
Not sure I follow mate? I’m not defending folk buying fake tops, just saying commercially the club need to have stock ready and available to meet the customers need. Basic business sense in my opinion, people like wearing their teams colours on holiday and when the sun is out, so get the stock ready for sale in advance.



And if that doesn't happen it's OK for people to pay fakers to breach the club's copyright because "people like wearing their teams colours on holiday and when the sun is out". Sorry I disagree.
 
And if that doesn't happen it's OK for people to pay fakers to breach the club's copyright because "people like wearing their teams colours on holiday and when the sun is out". Sorry I disagree.
No, not at all. I’m saying the club is failing as a business and missing a massive opportunity if they don’t get the supply out to meet the demand.
That’s completely seperate to people choosing to buy fakes, that they do is just an illustration of the size of the potential market. Hence why I said they are right to protect the brand.
 
No, not at all. I’m saying the club is failing as a business and missing a massive opportunity if they don’t get the supply out to meet the demand.
That’s completely seperate to people choosing to buy fakes, that they do is just an illustration of the size of the potential market. Hence why I said they are right to protect the brand.

You are using the former to justify the latter, they are therefore not separate issues by your own argument.

People who wish to support Rangers financially cannot justify buying goods which breach the club's copyright.

We can agree to disagree and not bore other people further.
 
In the real world rangers supporters will always buy unofficial rangers merchandise.how many of us own rsc badges and polo tops etc that have the rfc club crest on them.i bet that 90%+ of supporters who wear scarfs bought them from street vendors.in my lifetime I think I have bought two scarfs from the rangers shop and I have twenty odd scarfs in the House
 
There's a place for guys selling memorabilia. Our commercial team are missing a trick with food carts and pin trading.

Keep in mind they ate also talking about unofficial merch and people selling items with the crest on I.e. seat benches
Re: food carts - having been to old Trafford and Anfield recently (and having a peek behind the curtain how they do things) everything is in house, burger vans etc all locked up on FC's property. We are massively missing a trick here. Need more pop up merch stalls outside too, fck the megastore for the time being.
 
In the real world rangers supporters will always buy unofficial rangers merchandise.how many of us own rsc badges and polo tops etc that have the rfc club crest on them.i bet that 90%+ of supporters who wear scarfs bought them from street vendors.in my lifetime I think I have bought two scarfs from the rangers shop and I have twenty odd scarfs in the House

Oh for the good old days when any scarf you had was knitted by your grannie or your auntie LOL.:)
 
In the real world rangers supporters will always buy unofficial rangers merchandise.how many of us own rsc badges and polo tops etc that have the rfc club crest on them.i bet that 90%+ of supporters who wear scarfs bought them from street vendors.in my lifetime I think I have bought two scarfs from the rangers shop and I have twenty odd scarfs in the House

If the club choose to allow supporters clubs to use the crest, and in doing so promote the club and encourage supporters then there is no problem. It's basically a win for everyone concerned.

If people are buying red white and blue scarves with no Rangers owned intellectual property then there is no breach of copyright, different if there is an official crest on them.

The problem is it is such a hassle to try to take action against individuals the club has to rely on the fans not to buy from them. Hence releasing statements with regards protecting it's rights.
 
Rangers back in the day about 13years sold a canvas panoramic at £140, to produce it probably cost less than £10, I did them at £20 and donated over 50 to various charities/gala days. So they are asking fans to clipe on me and many others who produce better than what the club offers.

Some tube called Matt Lorenzo a lawyer for JJB gave me 24hours to remove the crest from a basic panoramic from Rangers v StMirren on a dreary Saturday in November years ago, not nice getting legal threats and from them with exception of remembrance poppy panoramic I haven't posted any photos.

Strips I get, but the club need to get there finger out, Hummel knew the demand last year and are still scandalously short. Yet again most kids are away their holidays in old kit.
 
There's a place for guys selling memorabilia. Our commercial team are missing a trick with food carts and pin trading.

Keep in mind they ate also talking about unofficial merch and people selling items with the crest on I.e. seat benches
Rangers back in the day about 13years sold a canvas panoramic at £140, to produce it probably cost less than £10, I did them at £20 and donated over 50 to various charities/gala days. So they are asking fans to clipe on me and many others who produce better than what the club offers.

Some tube called Matt Lorenzo a lawyer for JJB gave me 24hours to remove the crest from a basic panoramic from Rangers v StMirren on a dreary Saturday in November years ago, not nice getting legal threats and from them with exception of remembrance poppy panoramic I haven't posted any photos.

Strips I get, but the club need to get there finger out, Hummel knew the demand last year and are still scandalously short. Yet again most kids are away their holidays in old kit.
Don't think they can stop you selling your own photos/images as long as your not using the crest
 
Rangers back in the day about 13years sold a canvas panoramic at £140, to produce it probably cost less than £10, I did them at £20 and donated over 50 to various charities/gala days. So they are asking fans to clipe on me and many others who produce better than what the club offers.

Some tube called Matt Lorenzo a lawyer for JJB gave me 24hours to remove the crest from a basic panoramic from Rangers v StMirren on a dreary Saturday in November years ago, not nice getting legal threats and from them with exception of remembrance poppy panoramic I haven't posted any photos.

Strips I get, but the club need to get there finger out, Hummel knew the demand last year and are still scandalously short. Yet again most kids are away their holidays in old kit.

Genuine question as I don’t know the legalities/ease of such things but can you not apply to the club for permission to use the club crest? I’d like to assume that they’d give it even if they charged a small licensing fee provided the goods concerned was of good quality.
 
Genuine question as I don’t know the legalities/ease of such things but can you not apply to the club for permission to use the club crest? I’d like to assume that they’d give it even if they charged a small licensing fee provided the goods concerned was of good quality.
I gave Murray a framed photo years ago and he said I could use the crest in an email though that all changed when sold out to JJB.
 
I don't have much of an issue with it but unless the club can have an affordable range of clothing that will stop people buying cheap knock offs then it will always happen.
 
Where does that leave supporters clubs who produce polo shirts (for example) with the RFC crest on them? Just curious as I’ve got a fair selection over the years.
 
Where does that leave supporters clubs who produce polo shirts (for example) with the RFC crest on them? Just curious as I’ve got a fair selection over the years.

As I understand it the club allow it. It's in their best interest to encourage supporters clubs, more so than the minimal amount they would get for the numbers of times their copyright material is used.

I don't know that for a fact, just my understanding.
 
Where does that leave supporters clubs who produce polo shirts (for example) with the RFC crest on them? Just curious as I’ve got a fair selection over the years.
When we did our first batch of polo tops done one of our lads phoned the commercial department and asked permission to use the rfc crest,he said phone back in a couple of days and we’ll have answer and the answer was “no”.in saying all that we just went ahead and got them done any way.to be honest it would look really bad if the club persued it’s own supporters clubs for copyright infringements.
 
I gave Murray a framed photo years ago and he said I could use the crest in an email though that all changed when sold out to JJB.
Thanks for the response. I’d like to think the current board would have the same attitude as the pre JJB days. I guess we’ll only know if someone contacts them and poses the question though.
 
Not sure I follow mate? I’m not defending folk buying fake tops, just saying commercially the club need to have stock ready and available to meet the customers need. Basic business sense in my opinion, people like wearing their teams colours on holiday and when the sun is out, so get the stock ready for sale in advance.

Absolutely

Reminds me of this example you can see it fully on the official catalogue page 6 you just need to scroll down or along to view better

 
There's a place for guys selling memorabilia. Our commercial team are missing a trick with food carts and pin trading.

Keep in mind they ate also talking about unofficial merch and people selling items with the crest on I.e. seat benches

Less about seat benches, more about people selling horrific fake shirts with the right hand of Ulster, the Union Jack and evening tartan plastered all over them.
 
There's a place for guys selling memorabilia. Our commercial team are missing a trick with food carts and pin trading.

Keep in mind they ate also talking about unofficial merch and people selling items with the crest on I.e. seat benches
I suspect the commercial team know what they’re doing.

Where does that leave supporters clubs who produce polo shirts (for example) with the RFC crest on them? Just curious as I’ve got a fair selection over the years.
The club isn’t going to go after supporters clubs for having a banner. They’re talking about people making a business using the clubs name and logos to make cheap rubbish which takes business and money away from the company as well as devaluing the brand.
This release won’t mean people will automatically land in court, the club still needs to start legal action against the people or company.
 
Wouldn’t have thought so, are many many great Rangers books out their so unless something particular slanderous is wrote without any evidence then wouldn’t have thought so?
I was thinking about the recent book written by one of the obsessed. There’s a difference between that and a fan writing a historical book from a fans viewpoint.
 
surely they have released this to cover their arse RE the pop up store at the louden? just so fatty doesn’t get them back to court?
 
I would like to think and hope tbat some 3rd parties who are producing quality merchandise the now will contact the club and hopefully strike up a partnership.

So you can buy quality stuff which is officially licensed by the club.

I am thinking along the lines of the stuff we dont do presently like those metal coasters and keyrings that that company do. The garden benches etc. i have seen.

Then the club can hit those horrendous fake turkish things and get them off the streets and i mean also gers fans who buy a wad and sell em on facebook etc.
 
For all those that thought it was great cutting about in the fake Turkey tops thinking they were doing feck all wrong and having a pop at anyone that said they shouldn't buy them. Well there's what the club thinks.
 
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