O/T - Fleet Spurs

[3DSpur]

I just think THFC doesn't want anyone to get confused with the pub team efforts we currently put out on the weekends, with a pub team in Fleet...


:^)

 

[THFC6061]

Fleet Spurs Club Statement on behalf of the joint Chairmen. 15 Nov, 2013

Fleet Spurs are bemused and extremely disappointed by the way Premiership club Tottenham Hotspur have managed what, in essence, is a relatively minor issue relating to our club logo.

Now this matter has become public knowledge it is very important that players, parents and supporters of our club have a fuller understanding of the events which may have an effect on future subscription fees and obviously future kit design from our clubs position.

There is absolutely no doubt with us here at Fleet Spurs that if Tottenham Hotspur had contacted the club with their concerns in the way that they claim, the issue would have been quietly resolved. This would have been in our interest, but this was not the case.

For clarity of the facts around the logo issue, the one and only direct contact received by this club from Tottenham Hotspur came from their Head of Retail Victoria Howarth by telephone. After an amicable and friendly discussion in relation to the ****erel design over the years with Kierin Gurrie, Youth Club Chairman, we provided Tottenham Hotspur the information requested. They requested evidence that we had been using a ****erel or chicken in our logo since 1948. We forwarded a photograph of a 1954 cup winning Fleet Spurs team proudly displaying the clubs ****erel and as we received no other contact or indication from Victoria Howarth or Tottenham Hotspur that they still had concerns, we confidently considered the matter closed.

If Tottenham Hotspur had of come back to us with a fuller explanation of what the problem was we could have easily resolved the matter - it would have been in our interest to resolve this. To be clear to everyone associated with our club, amending the logo is not an issue with Fleet Spurs especially if our use of a ****erel offended Tottenham Hotspur. What we find very saddening was the manner and extremely short timescale given to us by their Solicitors to action their demands to remove our logo from everything associated with the club.

This has inevitably cost us a substantial sum and this action in our opinion was a massive over reaction by the London Club for whom many players, and people associated with our club still have great respect and admiration for. The club was founded by Tottenham Hotspur fans after the Second World War. The late Dave Black, our most distinguished former player, manager and past President was signed for THFC by Bill Nicholson on the same day in 1961 as Jimmy Greaves signed from AC Milan.

We would not want this issue to cloud the efforts put in by previous Fleet Spurs management, committee members and players who are Tottenham Hotspurs fans. We leave the door ajar for Tottenham Hotspur to be magnanimous in this situation, and show their support to grass roots football.





The issue isn't whether Fleet Spurs are allowed to use a ****erel as part of their club crest - of course they are - it's using a copyrighted design without permission of Tottenham Hotspur FC.

 

[Baleforce]

exactly, they are 100% in the wrong, **** em

 

[monkeybarry]

yes Fleet are in the wrong and, from what they say, have no problem in changing to a different design

i am, however, very disappointed in THFC and also many fans in this thread.
are we only allowed to show affinity towards our club (sorry, business we consume the product of) in a way THFC see's fit?

what next, supporters clubs not being able to use Spurs logo due to copyright? because if they do, without permission, they are clearly in breach also.

THFC needs to look outside of just "the brand" and remember its customers are very likely to care about grass roots also - you know, the level of football us mere mortals can play.

 

[braineclipse]

yes Fleet are in the wrong and, from what they say, have no problem in changing to a different design

i am, however, very disappointed in THFC and also many fans in this thread.
are we only allowed to show affinity towards our club (sorry, business we consume the product of) in a way THFC see's fit?

what next, supporters clubs not being able to use Spurs logo due to copyright? because if they do, without permission, they are clearly in breach also.

THFC needs to look outside of just "the brand" and remember its customers are very likely to care about grass roots also - you know, the level of football us mere mortals can play.

I'm quite sure official supporter clubs do get permission to use the logo, so not really sure if that's much of a point.

Apart from possibly that Spurs could have been less heavy handed in the way they contacted and dealt with Fleet Spurs I'm not really sure if there's much of an issue here. Can't see where you're getting that we're only allowed to show affinity towards teh club in the way THFC sees fit?

 

[jts1882]

If the description by Fleet is accurate, and I have no reason to doubt it, then it is very heavy handed by the club, even if legally justifiable. A second phone call or polite letter asking for changes would be much more appropriate than resorting to legal means. I suspect it is more just standard operating procedure, handing the matter to the appropriate department, rather than ill-intent, but still overkill. If the concern is genuinely protecting the club from further infringements they could offer to pay for the changes. A few thousand is nothing to the club and could buy back some good-will.

 

[Gutter Boy]

If the description by Fleet is accurate, and I have no reason to doubt it, then it is very heavy handed by the club, even if legally justifiable. A second phone call or polite letter asking for changes would be much more appropriate than resorting to legal means. I suspect it is more just standard operating procedure, handing the matter to the appropriate department, rather than ill-intent, but still overkill. If the concern is genuinely protecting the club from further infringements they could offer to pay for the changes. A few thousand is nothing to the club and could buy back some good-will.

Where does this few thousand come from? You can buy a new football kit for under £200. Or what about buying 16 badges and stitching them over the infringement ones - £10 and jobs-a-goodun. A roll of gaffer tape would do for the season to cover the offending ones up.

 

[Seedy Ron]

yes Fleet are in the wrong and, from what they say, have no problem in changing to a different design

i am, however, very disappointed in THFC and also many fans in this thread.
are we only allowed to show affinity towards our club (sorry, business we consume the product of) in a way THFC see's fit?

what next, supporters clubs not being able to use Spurs logo due to copyright? because if they do, without permission, they are clearly in breach also.

THFC needs to look outside of just "the brand" and remember its customers are very likely to care about grass roots also - you know, the level of football us mere mortals can play.

Wasn't GG stopped from using the ****, hence the badger? Or did I imagine that (quite likely)?

I'm not really in the **** em school here, I don't really like to see a non-league club put up against it, I just think that their design is a straight rip and these days they must've known that Spurs wouldn't allow it, I don't think they can absolve themselves of all blame for the position they're in.

 

[elyid]

Where does this few thousand come from? You can buy a new football kit for under £200. Or what about buying 16 badges and stitching them over the infringement ones - £10 and jobs-a-goodun. A roll of gaffer tape would do for the season to cover the offending ones up.

Because, they subscribe to the modern day "offended" culture and are in so deep they that can't see that asking you not to use a clearly copyrighted design of a multi million pound business is a perfectly reasonable request.

(Harsh but true IMO)

It would be like me setting up a burger bar and using the McDonalds logo...then complaining when asked not to.

 

[Baleforce]

the chairman pleading ignorance has annoyed me, they knew full well where the design had come from and were trying it on imo

as has been said, its not that its a chicken, its that its our chicken

 

[chicken_badge]

I only support one team.
And they don't have a motorway service station.

 

[Seedy Ron]

You could submit your avatar for their next competition C_B.

 

[Superted]

Fleet Spurs Club Statement on behalf of the joint Chairmen. 15 Nov, 2013


requested evidence that we had been using a ****erel or chicken in our logo since 1948. We forwarded a photograph of a 1954 cup winning Fleet Spurs team proudly displaying the clubs ****erel and as we received no other contact or indication from Victoria Howarth or Tottenham Hotspur that they still had concerns, we confidently considered the matter closed.

.

So in other words you couldn't provide the evidence that Spurs requested and they acted accordingly as they said they would.

Now **** off and stop sullying the name and identity of our great club ****ing freeloaders.

 

[Craig_J]

Shut the ****ers down and let everyone know what happens when you try taking the **** by 'honoring' us with crappy little clubs like that.

If we wanted a club at grass roots football then we'd bloody well relegate ourselves there wouldn't we.

I should say for clarity this post was a joke because of some of the ridiculous posts I saw in here... Though I do admit it may seem like I was being serious!!!

I really don't get what the big deal is. Of course we have to protect our idenity but you can give them permission to use the badge without leaving the matter alone and allowing counteriftters etc. to use it.





As you can see, similar clubs exist in the form of AFC Liverpool (obviously a Liverpool fans' club) and Maine Road FC (a city fans club). Despite the fact AFC Liverpool use the Liverbird and despite the fact Maine Road FC's badge is more or less an exact copy of an old Emirates Marketing Project badge neither City or Liverpool have seen the need to stretch to the levels we have.

And if anyone thinks that it's completley unlikely that the club may be lieing and may have had a heavy handed straight to the lawyers approach, I think you need to remember what the club is like when it comes to stuff like this.

 

[milo]

I should say for clarity this post was a joke because of some of the ridiculous posts I saw in here... Though I do admit it may seem like I was being serious!!!

I really don't get what the big deal is. Of course we have to protect our idenity but you can give them permission to use the badge without leaving the matter alone and allowing counteriftters etc. to use it.

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View attachment 1704

As you can see, similar clubs exist in the form of AFC Liverpool (obviously a Liverpool fans' club) and Maine Road FC (a city fans club). Despite the fact AFC Liverpool use the Liverbird and despite the fact Maine Road FC's badge is more or less an exact copy of an old Emirates Marketing Project badge neither City or Liverpool have seen the need to stretch to the levels we have.

And if anyone thinks that it's completley unlikely that the club may be lieing and may have had a heavy handed straight to the lawyers approach, I think you need to remember what the club is like when it comes to stuff like this.

We redesigned our logo a few years back so that we could protect it and stop it being used on unofficial merchandising. If a logo is in regular usage by people other than the rights holder then the rights can be lost. So in short, if we do not enforce the copyright and trademarks on our logo, then we could lose the right to protect it against others.

 

[JoeMo]

Ok please tell me if I'm missing something here but Fleet town are going to have another fan design the logo for a competition then the costs incurred to them are going to be minimal? They seem to be throwing round the £3000-4000 amounts from absolutely nowhere?

Having said that, we could have dealt with it better. Agreed to play them in a friendly next summer or something if they deal with this with the least fuss possible. Think they might be loving the attention though, for which I absolutely don't blame them.