The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

‘Man of the match’ IP rights up for grabs

Author

By John Glenday, Reporter

September 17, 2012 | 2 min read

Sports pundits and bookies fond of identifying the ‘man of the match’ may find soon find a price tag associated with their whimsy after intellectual property firm OFS announced it was selling the rights to the phrase which it registered as a trademark in 2002.

The putative sale has already elicited interest from betting sites such as Ladbrokes and Paddy Power, with beer giants Budweiser and Carlsberg also rumoured to be getting in on the act, with a deadline for offers set for this Thursday.

A six-figure sum is expected to be fetched for the rights, which includes a ‘man of the match’ domain name but fears have been expressed that the new owner could flex their rights by penalising others for using the phrase without permission.

Metis chief executive Stephen Roberston, told The Telegraph. “It’s a phrase that is used all the time and the buyer will have the opportunity to charge for that use. It’s not quite about suing them, the way Apple does for companies that use its name, but they will be able to make some money.”

The man of the match phrase has already been licensed for use by KP Peanuts and McCoy’s crisps.

Trending

Industry insights

View all
Add your own content +