- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 21/Jul 10:16

Woeful distraction

TRADEMARK No. 37173 – that’s the technical designation for a term of endearment known the world over: the Soca Warriors. The trademark is now at the centre of an unedifying dispute between national football officials and ex-broadcaster Selwyn Melville. We believe this impasse, which continues despite an intervention by parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs David Nakhid on July 17, a frivolous distraction from what should be the priority right now: getting the national football team ready to qualify for World Cup 2026. Ours is a history replete with instances in which failure to protect intellectual property has paved the way for others to profit. The 2024 move to assert rights in relation to the steelpan came after wasted decades. Peter Minshall’s famous tall boys, invented for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, were patented by others who today enjoy earnings. Mr Melville, who says he in 1998 coined the moniker, perhaps eyes posterity. Granted was his move to register it as a trademark in 2022. Certifying registration was deputy controller of the Intellectual Property Office Kavish Seetahal. In that year alone, 1,841 filings were lodged. However, it’s a good question to ask whether something so inherently tied to patriotic pride and feeling can be claimed, morally if not legally, by any one individual. After all, it was Maximus Dan’s song Fighter, not to mention the hardworking team of footballers who took the red, white and black to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, that really made the name take off. The fact that, at that time, this country was the smallest to qualify for a world cup gave the label a peculiar charm and irony. Should one person take credit? Money, of course, is the elephant in the room. The emotional tug of patriotism and legal rights aside, that is to be expected. But while submissions and counter-submissions about marketing plans are now in train after years of wrangling between the TT Football Association and Mr Melville, underlying assumptions of the dispute seem oddly tenuous. Questioning whether the legal situation is clear-cut is not an entirely unproductive exercise, even at this late stage. Attorney Dr Emir Crowne has suggested the name became so commonplace it cannot be owned. He’s also noted registrations can lapse if unused. Yet, if the TTFA is locked in a frivolous distraction, legal action might escalate things to an expensive waste. It’s disappointing this impasse developed. But the genuine tragedy is that instead of all eyes being on supporting our men ahead of September’s qualification round, a cat-and-mouse copyright game is playing out. That’s embarrassing on the global stage and regrettable. Because what would be the value of any trademark if the team flops? The post Woeful distraction appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.