Asahi Super Dry 0.0% named as club’s Official Training Kit Partner

I think Super Dry have placed a bet. You can already buy Asahi Super Dry T Shirts. So, why have they gone after City now? Because they are hoping their bet pays off, but it looks a little desperate. Hopefully City did their due diligence beforehand. If City are confident the training kit will remain on sale. We shall see.
Do they do any official ones?

A quick search suggests their from print-on-demand outlets, where you can just upload images and if someone buys one, then the online retailer will print it as a one-off and send it out. The people uploading would usually sign terms and conditions that say they're not infringing any copyright, but I know from Amazon that they will accept pretty much anything, but if they get any kind of query from a trademark holder, they just push it back on the seller.

A lot of trademark holders likely see them as small time, as the majority will never sell a single shirt.
 
What's your view on this claim? Personally, I can't see how there is any chance of success for a host of reasons, but I am no IP lawyer. Different breed, those guys.
Honestly no idea. I've only tangentially dealt with the odd trademark issue.

City already appear to have updated their training kit, so it seems like they're taking it seriously.

I wonder if Asahi wouldn't be too fussed. I don't think I've ever seen anyone ask for an Asahi Super Dry - just an Asahi. I didn't even realise that was the name of the actual beer, and not just the 0.0 one, until now.
 
I had spent £8 on a pint Asahi super dry in Bar38 long before these nylon puffer jacket traders were even in business, so they can fuck off.

(sure B38 was only bar in Manchester to sell Asahi in 2000)
 
Do they do any official ones?

A quick search suggests their from print-on-demand outlets, where you can just upload images and if someone buys one, then the online retailer will print it as a one-off and send it out. The people uploading would usually sign terms and conditions that say they're not infringing any copyright, but I know from Amazon that they will accept pretty much anything, but if they get any kind of query from a trademark holder, they just push it back on the seller.

A lot of trademark holders likely see them as small time, as the majority will never sell a single shirt.
So there have never been any official Asahi Super Dry T Shirts? If so, fair enough. But, it is possible that there was a limited edition run by Asahi. You can buy a t shirt now on their website for one of their other brands. Perhaps big tough SuperDry should take on Amazon too. They've got deep pockets like City.
 
So there have never been any official Asahi Super Dry T Shirts? If so, fair enough. But, it is possible that there was a limited edition run by Asahi. You can buy a t shirt now on their website for one of their other brands. Perhaps big tough SuperDry should take on Amazon too. They've got deep pockets like City.

One of the reasons they will fail, imho. You can, indeed, buy an Asahi Super Dry T-shirt on Amazon UK right now.
 
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So there have never been any official Asahi Super Dry T Shirts? If so, fair enough. But, it is possible that there was a limited edition run by Asahi. You can buy a t shirt now on their website for one of their other brands. Perhaps big tough SuperDry should take on Amazon too. They've got deep pockets like City.
No idea if they've ever had official ones, but I'd bet the ones on Amazon are nothing to do with Asahi.

Amazon is absolutely rammed with clothes and books that infringe trademarks, but, as I said, their policy is pretty much "accept almost everything, but wash their hands as soon as they're challenged". If Superdry contacted Amazon, those t-shirts would likely be gone within a day.

It's a different situation to City, and there's also a difference in degree between someone flogging half a dozen t-shirts a year on Amazon, and a training shirt that is regularly seen on TV by millions, and will appear in online media on a regular basis. A cynic might suggest that part of that difference is that Superdry wouldn't get any publicity from asking Amazon to stop the trader selling those t-shirts.
 
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No idea if they've ever had official ones, but I'd bet the ones on Amazon are nothing to do with Asahi.

Amazon is absolutely rammed with clothes and books that infringe trademarks, but, as I said, their policy is pretty much "accept almost everything, but wash their hands as soon as they're challenged". If Superdry contacted Amazon, those t-shirts would likely be gone within a day.

It's a different situation to City, and there's also a difference in degree between someone flogging half a dozen t-shirts a year on Amazon, and a training shirt that is regularly seen on TV by millions, and will appear in online media on a regular basis. A cynic might suggest that part of that difference is that Superdry wouldn't get any publicity from asking Amazon to stop the trader selling those t-shirts.

This is a High Court action isn't it? Normal procedure, I think, would be to issue a cease and desist letter before any expensive court action, so we can assume either such a letter was sent and the club told Superdry to fuck off or that such a letter wasn't sent and the action has been taken for publicity as much as for protection of intellectual property. It's an expensive approach, though. In either case, I would probably trust the club's lawyers to defend the action more than I would Superdry's lawyers to prosecute it in all honesty. What do you think?
 

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