Liverpool FC launches cheaper shirt in China
Liverpool Football Club (LFC) has launched an official shirt for Chinese fans to purchase, in a move that may have implications for fighting counterfeits.
The shirt will cost £23 ($30) and give fans in China the opportunity to buy official goods at a cheaper rate.
WIPR understands the shirt has been created and designed specifically for fans in China to buy an official product, rather than a counterfeit one.
It has not been made by the club’s official kit manufacturer New Balance but it has been authorised by LFC.
The official name of the product is a “supporters’ jersey”, similar to other leading English Premier League sides.
LFC sold the sixth most shirts globally between 2011 and 2016, with an average of 852,000 sold per season, according to data compiled by Peter Rohlmann at consulting bureau PR Marketing.
China is a growing market for English teams, with LFC being one of the first club to introduce cheaper kits there.
“It’s a message to consumers that for a little more they will be getting the real thing,” said Karen Fong, partner at Collyer Bristow, who has more than 20 years’ experience as an IP lawyer in the UK and Asia.
“It will also be easy to spot if these goods are imported into another market which they were not intended to be, hence making it easier for the IP owner to stop them.”
Join us for a FREE webinar - The Halo effect: walking the wilfulness tightrope - on May 16
Today’s top stories
New Balance settles shoe patent claim
Federal Circuit affirms invalidation of AT&T patent
Defend Trade Secrets Act turns one year old
Did you enjoy reading this story? Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories like this sent straight to your inbox
