It may be a mythical creature but the Liver bird has flown into a genuine storm in its native city after Liverpool Football Club applied to register the iconic image as a trademark. Liverpool have taken the measure to protect money otherwise lost to counterfeit merchandise. A furious council, however, has accused the club's American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, of riding roughshod over the city's heritage. Caught in the middle, the Liver bird anxiously awaits its fate.
The row erupted after Liverpool made a £450 application to trademark the image that adorns its crest with the UK Intellectual Property Office. The club already has trademarks on "This is Anfield" and the words "You'll Never Walk Alone" on its official emblem and is seeking the hat-trick to safeguard "the substantial amount of money" it loses each year to counterfeiters. The club will not, it claims, prevent other legitimate organisations from using the Liver bird logo.
Liverpool city council is unconvinced. The Anfield club has not been popular with the local authority since Hicks and Gillett bought Liverpool from David Moores last year and reneged on promises to commence work on a new stadium immediately and not to burden their investment with debt. The city council is taking legal advice over the trademark application and is expected to lodge an objection with the property office before Saturday's deadline.
"This is outrageous. The Liver bird belongs to all the people of Liverpool and not one company or organisation. It cannot be bought and sold for private profit," said the deputy council leader, Councillor Flo Clucas. "This is a symbol of the city and is used not only by the council but also by hundreds of organisations, charities, voluntary groups and sports clubs."
Liverpool's application includes a range of Liver bird usage, including on clothing, stationery and even kitchen utensils. "The Liver bird is part and parcel of the city, we are not remotely going anywhere near that," insisted a club spokesman. "What we are asking to do is to register our version of the Liver bird."
An expert in intellectual property rights, David Worrall, of Shipley Solicitors, believes the club may struggle if an objection is submitted. "People feel [the Liver bird] belongs to the public and not a company, no matter who they are," he said.
