Have seen on the Sky News this morning that the phrase "Man of the Match" is someone's registered trademark intellectual property and has just been auctioned off.

Telegraph has an article on it:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/n...ill-later.html

How can a phrase that's been in general use for years, is not specific to one person, sport or business, be a trademark? I can understand the wrestling guy as he came up with the phrase and it's specific to him, but a general use phrase cannot be copyrighted as far as I know.

It's just really ridiculous. Typical American b-shit rubbish. Soon we won't be able to open our mouths without someone chasing us for money.

Why is this American?

Weirdly, I am just about to post a birthday card to my nephew with those words on the front! Does that mean I should be worried about the Trademark Police?

Would normally be a reasonable assumption as the US has some odd patent and trade mark laws compared to the rest of the world. However doesn't look like it in this case.

My law is pretty rusty but I cannot imagine this reasonably succeeding in the courts. I had to check that the article wasn't dated 1 April...

Sorry I made an assumption, as it seemed so typically American (and yes, I'm American too) and didn't check where the company was based. Surprisingly it's actually British! I wouldn't have thought it could be trademarked there as the phrase is so common. Guess the laws must have changed a lot since I worked in the BBC's copyright department!

Doesn't look like the courts will be getting involved as everyone is queuing up to pay to use it and not to challenge it. I think you're okay on the card at present, but doubt you'll be seeing the phrase on any more birthday cards, or t-shirts for that matter.

I think this is mostly about preventing others from profiting through the use of the phrase, not to prevent people from simply saying it. Licensing agreements will be worked out, each 'user' will contribute a little money, the IP owner will make a fair bit, and life will more or less go on as before...

Not just an american thingy, anybody remember the Bwuhaaa some years back when the German DIN-Norm-Nazis fined any company using "inch and not cm" to describe a TV screen diameter?

Yes, I agree with you that people saying it aren't likely to be prosecuted, but why should companies suddenly have to pay to use it?

I just can't see how a phrase that is in such common usage can suddenly become a trademark. Especially as it's not associated with any one brand or person. It's a general phrase that's used mostly in regards to sports, but it's not exclusive to one and has been used to describe other things too as well as being put on items like cards, mugs, t-shirts, etc. That doesn't make it a trademark imho, it's usage is simply too widespread and diverse.

And given how well the wrestling announcer has done, I doubt each user will be contributing "a little money" or that the owner "will make a fair bit". We're talking thousands and millions here if he's anything to go by. Which is the whole point of course, but it's still ridiculous that it's been allowed to be registered as a trademark in the first place.

Anything that referred to "London 2012" was subject to such laws in the run up to and during the Olympics.

I think some long-established Greek restaurant called "Restaurant Olympic", or some such, had some hassles with the copyright police at some point, too.

Yes, exactly. The Olympic Movement guards their Olympic "trademark" rigorously, some might say too much so, but it's tied to that specific event and no other and everything knows and recognises that. Man of the Match has been used in so many different situations and contexts I simply can't see it being a trademark of any kind.