3 Count: British Logo Battles

A pair of battles over logos in the UK.

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1: Wolverhampton Wanderers Badge Copyright Claim Thrown Out

First off today, The BBC reports that a man who claimed to have created the club badge for the Wolverhamptom Wanderers has lost his case as a judge has found for the club.

The lawsuit began when Peter Davies claimed that her created the badge that the soccer club uses. According to Davies, he created the badge, which looks like a wolf’s head in an octagon, when he was a schoolboy in the 1960s. Davies claimed to have entered it into a design contest that the designer of the new kit had connections with.

The new kit was introduced in 2002 but Davies claimed to have only recently become aware of the alleged copying. However, the judge in the case ruled that Davies faced “insuperable obstacles” to proving his claim and sided with the defendants.

2: Haas F1’s Main Sponsor Went to Court Over Its Logo and Then Things Got Weird

Next up today, Alanis King at Jalopnik reports that Rich Energy, a company that’s best known for its sponsorship of the Haas Formula One Team has not only lost a legal battle over its logo but has done so in spectacular fashion.

The company was sued by Whyte Bikes, which claimed that the logo was a near copy of theirs. Though the judge agreed there was “no direct evidence” that Rich Energy or any involved in the logo’s design saw the Whyte Bikes’ logo, the judge still ruled that it was an infringement.

Much of the reason for this dealt with Rich Energy CEO William Storey, whom the judge accused of giving “incorrect or misleading” evidence as well as manufacturing documents to provide support for his case. The judge has told White Bikes that it will get a choice between damages and injunctive relief for the infringement or an “account of profits at its election.” White Bikes, in a statement, said that they will seek damages and an injunction, which they hope will result in the logo being removed from the F1 cars.

3: Clive Palmer insists he’s in the clear in copyright spat with Twisted Sister

Finally today, Michaela Whitbourn at The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Clive Palmer, the head of the United Australia Party, have filed a legal defense in their case against Universal Music, saying that the case is “embarrassing” for them to defend the case as it is currently presented.

The lawsuit was filed in February and it accused Palmer and his party of using a modified version of Twisted Sister’s We’re Not Gonna Take It in their campaign ads. However, Palmer claims that the allegations are embarrassing, an Australian legal term that means the case is overly broad, making it impossible to defend against.

Palmer, in an earlier statement, said that he doesn’t feel the song is an original work claiming it has roots in the hymn O Come, All Ye Faithful. However, Palmer claims that, even if the court rules against him on that argument, that his use an example of fair dealing and would not be infringing.

The 3 Count Logo was created by Justin Goff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

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