Barcelona and Neymar Top Football Trademark Rankings; High-Flying Leicester Need to Shore Up Their Defence

World Trademark Review recently conducted research identifying the leading trademark filers in the football world include FC Barcelona, AC Milan, and Manchester United. Noticeably absent is Leicester City, the team that won the 2016 Premier League title. Surprisingly, Leicester City does not yet have a trademark portfolio that matches the team's recent success. World Trademark Review interviewed Finnegan partner Danny M. Awdeh on the topic. Said Awdeh, "The lack of a sizeable portfolio at Leicester is a natural result of achieving such rapid and unexpected success (the club were near-bottom of the league the previous season, before clinching the title the next)." "Brand owners who suddenly find themselves in Leicester's position may not have the fully developed IP portfolio in place that mature companies use to protect their rights," Awdeh explains. "As a frontline defense, these brand owners should supplement their trademark, copyright and domain name filings as needed, particularly in countries known for producing counterfeit products, implement an online watch for counterfeiters/infringers, and record their IP with customs to seize counterfeit products before they hit the market."