Steelers
10-06-09, 12:31 AM
Source: Canterbury-Bankstown Express (http://express.whereilive.com.au/news/story/titanic-clash/)
A LOCAL junior rugby side has been hurled into the centre of a titanic legal battle with a major NRL team over a trademark dispute.
Gold Coast Titans rugby league club has threatened to sue the under-14 Canterbury Titans - a ?muscle tactic? that could sink the chances of players such as Connor Finn, Elisaia Lagaaia and Riley Tasker (pictured at Wills Ground, Earlwood) to go overseas for the Rugby World Cup in 2011.
The Express can reveal the Canterbury team was issued with legal documents and received emails from the Queensland club more than six months ago, which ordered them to withdraw their trademark application.
A Gold Coast spokesman said the documents were sent out to ?protect their own trademark?.
On the Australian Trade Mark Online Search System, 14 Titans-branded names are registered. Two names are listed as ?under examination?. Only the Canterbury Titans were labelled as ?opposed?.
The team planned to watch the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and compete against junior Kiwi teams for a ``morale-boosting?? experience. But the $20,000 dream has been blasted out of the water because of what they describe as ``pathetic bully tactics?? in this real-life clash of the titans.
``Now we?ve got to find another way to raise the money. We?ve probably got to do chocolate runs or a carwash, things like that,?? the source said.
The source said he thought it was a joke at first.
``I started to laugh when I got the call,?? the source said.
``Nobody believed me when I told them what had happened. They?re a big national rugby league team and we?re just a nobody, a little small-town team.
``It?s not worth taking it to court. They know they?ve got the money. We don?t.
``We?re a junior rugby team that pays $80 for our fees every year. This whole thing is just crazy.??
Gold Coast Titans? commercial project general manager Cameron Murray said the club was advised by a solicitor that another entity had tried to register a trademark that was too alike to theirs.
``We made contact with the Canterbury Titans with the intention of discussing the issue, however, that wasn?t something that they were prepared to do.
``We were left with no option but to lodge an objection to the registration.
``There are up to 10 and possibly more junior clubs that are playing using the Titans name we encourage it. The difference is they are not trying to obstruct our commercial right to protect our own trademark.??
?They?re challenging us because our logo apparently looks too much like theirs,? a source close to the Canterbury team, who asked to remain anonymous, said.
?They look completely different.?
The two teams play different codes of football. One is a multi-million dollar empire, with sponsorship deals and a stadium with a seating capacity of 27,500.
The other barely has enough money to repair a dilapidated clubhouse that sits on a small park at Earlwood.
The Canterbury team wanted to trademark their name and logo so it could have a branding identity and sell their merchandise to raise money for a trip to New Zealand.
A LOCAL junior rugby side has been hurled into the centre of a titanic legal battle with a major NRL team over a trademark dispute.
Gold Coast Titans rugby league club has threatened to sue the under-14 Canterbury Titans - a ?muscle tactic? that could sink the chances of players such as Connor Finn, Elisaia Lagaaia and Riley Tasker (pictured at Wills Ground, Earlwood) to go overseas for the Rugby World Cup in 2011.
The Express can reveal the Canterbury team was issued with legal documents and received emails from the Queensland club more than six months ago, which ordered them to withdraw their trademark application.
A Gold Coast spokesman said the documents were sent out to ?protect their own trademark?.
On the Australian Trade Mark Online Search System, 14 Titans-branded names are registered. Two names are listed as ?under examination?. Only the Canterbury Titans were labelled as ?opposed?.
The team planned to watch the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and compete against junior Kiwi teams for a ``morale-boosting?? experience. But the $20,000 dream has been blasted out of the water because of what they describe as ``pathetic bully tactics?? in this real-life clash of the titans.
``Now we?ve got to find another way to raise the money. We?ve probably got to do chocolate runs or a carwash, things like that,?? the source said.
The source said he thought it was a joke at first.
``I started to laugh when I got the call,?? the source said.
``Nobody believed me when I told them what had happened. They?re a big national rugby league team and we?re just a nobody, a little small-town team.
``It?s not worth taking it to court. They know they?ve got the money. We don?t.
``We?re a junior rugby team that pays $80 for our fees every year. This whole thing is just crazy.??
Gold Coast Titans? commercial project general manager Cameron Murray said the club was advised by a solicitor that another entity had tried to register a trademark that was too alike to theirs.
``We made contact with the Canterbury Titans with the intention of discussing the issue, however, that wasn?t something that they were prepared to do.
``We were left with no option but to lodge an objection to the registration.
``There are up to 10 and possibly more junior clubs that are playing using the Titans name we encourage it. The difference is they are not trying to obstruct our commercial right to protect our own trademark.??
?They?re challenging us because our logo apparently looks too much like theirs,? a source close to the Canterbury team, who asked to remain anonymous, said.
?They look completely different.?
The two teams play different codes of football. One is a multi-million dollar empire, with sponsorship deals and a stadium with a seating capacity of 27,500.
The other barely has enough money to repair a dilapidated clubhouse that sits on a small park at Earlwood.
The Canterbury team wanted to trademark their name and logo so it could have a branding identity and sell their merchandise to raise money for a trip to New Zealand.