Kieran Maguire: ‘Ferocious’ Man City are ‘lawyered up and ready to go’ after legal threat issued
Man City are “lawyered up and ready to go” whenever they feel that their rapidly-growing brand is under threat.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the latest legal developments at the Eithad.
Per the Daily Mail last Wednesday (16 February), City have issued a cease and desist notice to Chilean club Santiago City.
The third-division club are alleged to have misled consumers with their crest, which bears a striking resemblance to that of the Manchester giants.
Maguire claims that the legal threat may seem “harsh” but makes commercial sense from the Premier League champions’ perspective.
“On the face of it, it does seem harsh,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“City have an expanding brand. As such, they need to protect their intellectual property and they will argue that their response is proportionate.
“But I don’t think there are any fans who would mistakenly walk into a sports shop and accidentally buy a Santiago City shirt instead of a Man City one.
“But from City’s perspective, they are making sure this isn’t the thin end of the wedge.
“City as a club are very much lawyered up and ready to go. They protect what they consider to be theirs with a degree of ferocity.”
Santiago City have not yet taken steps to alter their badge in accordance with the cease and desist notice.
Man City earned in excess of £270million in commercial income over the last recorded financial year.
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