http://www.unitedrant.co.uk/archives/2005/09/glazer_sues_own.html
United Rant
Article by The Editor
September 24, 2005 06:00 PM
Glazer Sues Own Fans
MUFCUSA.com - an independent United fanzine for Reds based in the US of A - is being threaten by the clubs lawyers for 'illegally displaying the club's crest' on the website and therefore breaching copyright. That's right RANT readers the club are threatening to sue their own fans for supporting their own team. What next taking on Reds with tattoos? Suing fans on the terraces for singing United songs? What new low can the ginger cocksucker sink to?
RANT has already been threatened with litigation once - for displaying United's fixture list - and we wouldn't be surprised if we also heard from WILLIAM A SHEPHERD & SON the club's appointed copywrite lawyers. After all we've long displayed the club's logo. Or perhaps the old logo doesn't count - after all since it wasn't good enough for Peter Kenyon why should the new regime care?
The hypocrisy of the club's stance on copyright is highlighted by Manchester United magazine - the club's official rag. Published by Future, the magazine stole both the concept and several images from "Zubov" a regular contributor to MUFCUSA and Red News.
In the first example Zubov displays a gallery of United legends in old fashioned kit.
In the second example, published by Manchester United magazine in July, the gallery shows 'United Players 1905'. Zubov had done a centre spread for Red News last year showing United players as they would have appeared on cigarette cards in the 1930s.
As Zubov says, "Future Publications basically told me to **** off after the editor admitted seeing two of my images from the piece in the Guardian Gallery in April. Intellectual property obviously means nothing to them as long as it isn't theirs."
The letter to MUFCUSA is symptomatic of the problems in football not just United. Attendances are falling as clubs price fans out of the game and managers look after their own arses with negative tactics rather than entertaining the public.
Of course should WILLIAM A SHEPHERD & SON dare to darken RANT's doors with their threats of litigation we'll do exactly what we did with the Nazi's at the Football Data Co Limited and publish their hypocritical ***** in full on this site. RANT will then contact every Sports Editor at every national newspaper in the country, who we know well, with the story. We wait in anticipation boys!
The letter sent to MUFCUSA is displayed in full below:
Mr Darren Wayne Caudill
USA
RJH/KD/G/MAN 23 August 2005
Dear Mr Caudill
www.mufcusa.com - Unauthorised Use of the MANCHESTER UNITED Crest
================================================== =========
We act on behalf of MANCHESTER UNITED PLC of Sir Matt Busby Way, Old Trafford, Manchester, M16 0RA in connection with the protection of its intellectual property rights (including, and in particular, its Registered and unregistered Trade Mark rights) globally.
It has come to our client's attention that the website www.mufcusa.com (which we have ascertained is Registered in your name personally) is making unauthorised use of the MANCHESTER UNITED Crest.
You may or may not be aware that our client has an existing Trade Mark Registration and two pending Community Trade Mark applications, in the USA, for the MANCHESTER UNITED Crest in respect of a broad range of goods and services. We enclose for your consideration brief particulars for the same.
In addition, and with regard to our client's Trade Mark MANCHESTER UNITED Crest, we hereby confirm and clarify that the same is the subject of original copyright protection in the United States. Consequently, the unauthorised use of the same on the website www.mufcusa.com amounts to copyright infringement.
In the circumstances, therefore, we write now to request that, within 14 days from the date of this letter, you provide appropriate undertakings confirming that you will:
1. immediately remove the MANCHESTER UNITED Crest from the website www.mufcusa.com and/or any other website which you are personally affiliated;
2. never in the future use the MANCHESTER UNITED Crest and/or anything colourably similar to the same, on the website www.mufcusa.com and/or any other website to you are affiliated and/or any publication owned by you or in your control.
We suspect that the unauthorised use of our client's Trade Mark MANCHESTER UNITED Crest is not an offence which has been deliberately perpetrated. Nevertheless, and as you will surely appreciate, our client has spent considerable time and money investing in and developing its intellectual property rights worldwide and, therefore, even the best intended misuse of its rights is something which it cannot allow to assist.
We look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Yours sincerely
WILLIAM A SHEPHERD & SON
Enc: Trade Mark particulars
United Rant
Article by The Editor
September 24, 2005 06:00 PM
Glazer Sues Own Fans
MUFCUSA.com - an independent United fanzine for Reds based in the US of A - is being threaten by the clubs lawyers for 'illegally displaying the club's crest' on the website and therefore breaching copyright. That's right RANT readers the club are threatening to sue their own fans for supporting their own team. What next taking on Reds with tattoos? Suing fans on the terraces for singing United songs? What new low can the ginger cocksucker sink to?
RANT has already been threatened with litigation once - for displaying United's fixture list - and we wouldn't be surprised if we also heard from WILLIAM A SHEPHERD & SON the club's appointed copywrite lawyers. After all we've long displayed the club's logo. Or perhaps the old logo doesn't count - after all since it wasn't good enough for Peter Kenyon why should the new regime care?
The hypocrisy of the club's stance on copyright is highlighted by Manchester United magazine - the club's official rag. Published by Future, the magazine stole both the concept and several images from "Zubov" a regular contributor to MUFCUSA and Red News.
In the first example Zubov displays a gallery of United legends in old fashioned kit.
In the second example, published by Manchester United magazine in July, the gallery shows 'United Players 1905'. Zubov had done a centre spread for Red News last year showing United players as they would have appeared on cigarette cards in the 1930s.
As Zubov says, "Future Publications basically told me to **** off after the editor admitted seeing two of my images from the piece in the Guardian Gallery in April. Intellectual property obviously means nothing to them as long as it isn't theirs."
The letter to MUFCUSA is symptomatic of the problems in football not just United. Attendances are falling as clubs price fans out of the game and managers look after their own arses with negative tactics rather than entertaining the public.
Of course should WILLIAM A SHEPHERD & SON dare to darken RANT's doors with their threats of litigation we'll do exactly what we did with the Nazi's at the Football Data Co Limited and publish their hypocritical ***** in full on this site. RANT will then contact every Sports Editor at every national newspaper in the country, who we know well, with the story. We wait in anticipation boys!
The letter sent to MUFCUSA is displayed in full below:
Mr Darren Wayne Caudill
USA
RJH/KD/G/MAN 23 August 2005
Dear Mr Caudill
www.mufcusa.com - Unauthorised Use of the MANCHESTER UNITED Crest
================================================== =========
We act on behalf of MANCHESTER UNITED PLC of Sir Matt Busby Way, Old Trafford, Manchester, M16 0RA in connection with the protection of its intellectual property rights (including, and in particular, its Registered and unregistered Trade Mark rights) globally.
It has come to our client's attention that the website www.mufcusa.com (which we have ascertained is Registered in your name personally) is making unauthorised use of the MANCHESTER UNITED Crest.
You may or may not be aware that our client has an existing Trade Mark Registration and two pending Community Trade Mark applications, in the USA, for the MANCHESTER UNITED Crest in respect of a broad range of goods and services. We enclose for your consideration brief particulars for the same.
In addition, and with regard to our client's Trade Mark MANCHESTER UNITED Crest, we hereby confirm and clarify that the same is the subject of original copyright protection in the United States. Consequently, the unauthorised use of the same on the website www.mufcusa.com amounts to copyright infringement.
In the circumstances, therefore, we write now to request that, within 14 days from the date of this letter, you provide appropriate undertakings confirming that you will:
1. immediately remove the MANCHESTER UNITED Crest from the website www.mufcusa.com and/or any other website which you are personally affiliated;
2. never in the future use the MANCHESTER UNITED Crest and/or anything colourably similar to the same, on the website www.mufcusa.com and/or any other website to you are affiliated and/or any publication owned by you or in your control.
We suspect that the unauthorised use of our client's Trade Mark MANCHESTER UNITED Crest is not an offence which has been deliberately perpetrated. Nevertheless, and as you will surely appreciate, our client has spent considerable time and money investing in and developing its intellectual property rights worldwide and, therefore, even the best intended misuse of its rights is something which it cannot allow to assist.
We look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Yours sincerely
WILLIAM A SHEPHERD & SON
Enc: Trade Mark particulars
