The dangers of copyright disputes arising from the use of football club badges

In January 2017, the Italian football club Juventus unveiled a new club crest. The familiar silhouette of a charging bull against the fabled black and white stripes will now be replaced by a black and white letter J in the shape of a shield[1]. Speaking about the new crest, Juventus’ club president, Andrea Agnelli, stated that[2]:

“this new logo is a symbol of the Juventus way of living. We spent a year trying to find out what the new markets want, but also to show a sense of belonging and looking to the future.”

Yet the new badge has not proved to be universally popular[3]. Many questioned why the club needed to replace its present badge,[4] the constituent elements of which have been used since the 1930s (save for a period in the 1970s and 1980s when the iconic bull – a symbol of Turin – was replaced on the shirts of La Vecchia Signora by a zebra[5]).

The redesign showed the perils of football clubs departing from tradition, particularly where the club crest is concerned. Popular opinion may, however, be the least of a club’s concerns. A number of cases show the importance of bearing in mind the legal implications that may arise as a result of the use, or change of, a football club’s crest.