An English football team fears it could be the target of legal action after a popular acronym used by its fans was registered as a trade mark by a separate party.
Sheffield Wednesday, which plays in the Football League’s Championship division, warned that it may have to abandon the ‘WAWAW’ tagline after it became the legal property of club supporter Paul Jennings in June 2018. The trade mark has been filed in classes 16, 25, and 34, covering goods including clothing, tobacco products, and 3D decals.
The acronym – which stands for ‘We’re All Wednesday Aren’t We’ – is a phrase synonymous with the club and is used across its merchandise and branding, including the club’s football jerseys.
The football side said it has appealed to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) to try and overturn the trade mark, adding that it had not been made aware of the application at the time of registering.
Appealing to Mr Jennings, a club spokesperson said: “We can confirm we have challenged Mr Jennings’ trade mark as ‘WAWAW’ has, without question, grown organically from within the Sheffield Wednesday family for many years.
“We are confident the decision of the Intellectual Property Office will take this overwhelming factor into consideration and result in our challenge being successful.”
A solicitor speaking on behalf of the registered proprietor said: “The trade mark was registered in accordance with trade mark law; the application for registration was not opposed by Sheffield Wednesday or anybody else.
“As Sheffield Wednesday have applied to cancel our client’s trade mark at the Intellectual Property Office, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time, as proceedings are ongoing.”