Feel Free To Use The Phrase "Fussball WM 2006" All You Want
from the trademark-tiffs dept
Let's hope the organizers of this summer's World Cup do better at putting on the tournament than they've fared in court. Last week, they lost a case in which their ban on the resale of tickets was overturned (so take that, Bob Geldof), and now they've lost a bid to trademark "Fussball WM 2006" in Germany, which translates as "Football World Cup 2006". The sport's governing body, FIFA, wanted to the trademark so only its official sponsors could use the phrase, but that's now impossible, at least in Germany. Large events like the Olympics always seem to horse-trade with governments, dangling the promise of huge economic benefits in front of them, then demand ridiculous levels of "protection" for their trademarks and sponsors -- protection they don't deserve, any more than any other entity. So it's nice to see some of the more ridiculous claims get smacked down by the courts.
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FIRST POST
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FIRST POST
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Shhh
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is there no help
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Re: is there no help
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Re: Re: is there no help
I wonder why I don't have a girlfriend...
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Re: Re: is there no help
We cover business and technology issues, with a large focus on intellectual property issues -- of which this is an important one.
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World Cup
Instead of building a stupid ice schute for 90 million dollars that only 60 people will use, you may have to build a stadium or two that will be around a long time.
Most of the countries that host it already have the infrastructure in place.
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Bunch of guys in short pants and knee socks, you ought to call it "sissyball".
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Re: sissyball
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Soccer/Football/Fussball
In 18th century (and before) Britain- they used to play a game where two villages would have an object and have to get it back to their village.
Every region had it's own rules- In some places you could carry the ball- in others only kick it- in some you could punch the crap out of everyone in your way... the game became different- everyone called it football. It eventually evolved into being played on pitches- and rules were better defined.
In England the game became Rugby and modern day Football... In America, immigrants turned it into American football.
At one point to avoid confusion back in England they decided to give the two major branches different names- Rugby Football for the rules formalised in Rugby- Association Football is what we call football today.
Association Football was a league (nicknamed soccer) with it's own rules. Eventually it went belly up and now we have FIFA, the FA, and a different governing body.
It is as incorrect to call football "soccer" (soccer was a league that doesn't exist any more) as it would be to call all American Football "Arena Football".
You don't call an NFL match Arena Football because that isn't the governing body or league of the NFL... for the same reason Football is NOT soccer.
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Re: Soccer/Football/Fussball
And another thing. Even though I'm American, I always thought it was more logical to call "soccer" Football than the American version, where feet are used only for kickoffs, punts, and field goals. Heck, even Rugby uses feet more often than that! But I suppose "entertainment-platform-for- pushing-adult-beverages- using-scantily-clad-women-ball" was either already taken, or too hard to remember!
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Re: Re: Soccer/Football/Fussball
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Hi
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Hello
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