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OUR BRAND

Brand Protection

Sturt Football Club brand is one of the most important assets owned by the Club.

Whilst a team may change over time, the Club’s brand endures and helps us to preserve the rich tradition and pride associated with the Double Blues.

The Club is committed to protecting its brand and its intellectual property. This page explains in a little more detail the reasons why the Club has to fight to protect its brand, how you can help the Club to protect its identity, and what you should do if you want to use any of the Club’s intellectual property.

What do we mean by the Club’s brand/ intellectual property?

The Club’s intellectual property consists mostly of its trademarks and the Club name. These marks include logos and phrases synonymous with the Club such as:

  • The Club’s logos
  • The Club’s name
  • The words ‘Blue Genes’
  • The Club’s nickname (Dublas)

Infringement

Any use of any of the above without the Club’s permission, whether appearing on websites or printed literature, or incorporated into company names or slogans, constitutes an infringement of the Club’s trademarks.

What is Counterfeiting?

Counterfeiting is the deliberate attempt to deceive consumers by copying, manufacturing and marketing goods bearing well known trademarks. You may have come across counterfeit items associated with the Club online. Such products range from clothing and accessories. As the Club has no control over the production of the goods, they are often of poor quality, unsafe and manufactured by people and in conditions not meeting the high standards required by the Club.

Why do we fight so hard to protect the Club’s brand?

Improper use of the Club’s identity affects its ability to license use of its brand to its key sponsors and partners. We lose the ability to control the quality of goods associated with the Club, which can damage the Club’s reputation. All of this damages the level of revenue that the Club can generate from its commercial deals, subsequently reducing the amount of money the Club can devote to football programs. Ultimately, the Club’s image and intellectual property are its biggest generator of income, and without a strong brand the Club would not be what it is today. We understand that people often think that we are being “heavy handed” when we insist that people cease any unauthorised use of our brand. However, we hope that our fans appreciate that if we allow unauthorised use to take place, ultimately there would be no need for our key commercial sponsors to pay to have an association with the Club – they could simply use our trademarks for free. Without the income we generate from our key sponsors, there is no way we would be able to compete with other football teams in the SANFL.

How can you help?

The Club is very lucky to have such loyal and dedicated fans and we believe that by working together we can work hard to fight the infringement of our brand which is so damaging to our Club. If you are aware of any activity relating to the use of the Club’s intellectual property (such as the Club’s logo) which you think may be without permission, then please contact the Club at [email protected] in order that this can be investigated. Any information given to us will be treated in the strictest confidence and shared only with the relevant authorities for the purpose of taking legal action.

What should you do if you would like to use the Club’s brand?

We fully understand that people want to associate themselves with the Club and we are pleased to see such enthusiasm, however, for the reasons set out above, we must ensure that we retain control over the use of our intellectual property. Therefore, if you would like to use any of our intellectual property then please ensure that you seek written permission beforehand. All enquiries should be made to [email protected], setting out as much detail as possible. We promise to look at every request on its own merits.