Celebrating Beatrix Potter – an IP enthusiast ahead of her time
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With the Wimbledon championship only recently over - the tournament seemingly having gone almost unnoticed this year amidst the FIFA World Cup frenzy – we were tempted to delve into this much loved sporting event.
Iconic elements, such as the Royal Box, strawberries and cream and the all-white dress code (even if players push the limits) quickly come to mind when evoking this great British tennis championship. And let’s not forget the long-term, hand-picked partners who contribute so much to the consistency of the “look and feel” of the Wimbledon brand: Rolex, Ralph Lauren, Pimm’s…
From an IP perspective, a quick look at the registrations owned by the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (Wimbledon) Limited – or the rather more manageable AELTC, for short - shows that significant portfolio of registered trade marks has been built up over the years, stretching as far back as… 1884![1]
Interestingly, a quick overview of the Wimbledon portfolio shows a clear brand evolution over the years, with the registered trade marks closely mirroring changes in marketing, adapting to new colourways and logos, embracing new product ranges (clothing, jewellery, luggage, even non-fungible tokens) and new communication channels (broadcasting, mobile applications).
As well as moving with the times for new registrations, the current portfolio suggests that the AELTC adopts a robust and pragmatic approach to the portfolio, resisting the temptation to retain all historical registrations, which can so easily lead to a cluttered and incoherent portfolio. The current protection is, instead, a healthy mix of legacy and modern trade marks that both reflects and protects the brand.
The company has also pushed the scope of protection of the Wimbledon brand to include elements which would not have been considered inherently distinctive as standalone marks. For example, it successfully registered the tagline “In pursuit of greatness”, but only by combining it with the Wimbledon logo. Applications to register the tagline in isolation were, not surprisingly, unsuccessful. [2] Rather more impressively – given the difficulties so often encountered when seeking a colour mark - the AELTC was granted registration in June 2016 of its combination of dark green (Pantone No. 349 C) and purple (Pantone No. 268 C), having been able to demonstrate acquired distinctiveness.[3] This considerably expands the protection of the “look and feel” of the Wimbledon brand.
It will be interesting to see what awaits the Wimbledon brand as the 150th year anniversary is approaching (9th July 2027), and how the AELTC’s trade mark team embraces this celebration.
Author: Alix de La Motte-Broöns
Further advice
For further advice, please contact the trade marks team at Hindles.
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[1] See the original registrations, still protected to this day: The Championship (UK00000040977); The Wimbledon (UK00000040979)
[2] See UK00003224401 for the granted registration, with two unsuccessful applications UK00003221390 and UK00003221387.
[3] See UK00003095405 and UK00003097108.