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Manchester City players wore modified training gear for their pre-match warm-up on Sunday following a High Court trademark infringement claim by fashion brand Superdry.
Last week it emerged that City are being sued for damages over the use of the words Super Dry – a type of beer sold by one of their main sponsors, Asahi – on their training kit.
Some immediate implications have become apparent: by Wednesday, January 3, the day the Superdry claim was first reported by Law360, City players were wearing bibs, sweatshirts and coats labeled ‘Asahi Super’ in training and before matches. The word “dry” was written on it.
However, since the middle of last week, and including the warm-up before their FA Cup match with Huddersfield Town on Sunday, the players’ clothing has been changed to ‘Asahi 0.0%’.
City wore training tops without the ‘Super “Dry” branding at the weekend (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
But UK-based clothing brand Superdry is also seeking an injunction and financial damages, and is even asking for the option to ‘destroy’ all of the city’s Super “Dry” branded training gear, with more to come. There will also be development.
Here, athletic Tells what we know so far and what may happen next.
What does Superdry want and why?
Superdry accused Citi of “improperly profiting” from “running under the cover of the well-known Superdry registrations” and argued that its own brand could be “tarnished” by poor quality clothing items sold by Citi.
It has also been claimed that there is a possibility for its brand to be influenced by “negative perceptions or preconceptions of Manchester City Football Club in the minds of supporters of rival football clubs” and that super “dry” branding has been used by the club. Use can cause “harm”. Superdry’s reputation”
Superdry submitted that “the appearance of the (training) kits is liable to deceive substantial numbers of members of the UK public into believing that the (training) kits are clothing designed or sold by (Superdry)”.
As a result, the brand is seeking financial compensation from the city. According to court documents, it is “currently unable to determine the exact financial value of this claim”, but it intends for those damages to include “any unfair profits made by the infringer as a result of the breach”.
The value of City’s training kit sponsorship with Asahi was not made publicly available, although it was reported that the club’s previous partner, OKEx, paid $20 million (£18.5m) for the 2022–23 season and Therefore it was anticipated that a new agreement would be reached. A similar bracket.
City’s players wearing super “dry” training gear in late December (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Superdry claims that City “benefited enormously” from the sponsorship deal relating to the branding on training kits and that they “engaged in infringing activities knowingly and/or with reasonable grounds to know that Superdry is a well-known clothing brand”. brand” that didn’t allow it.
In November 2023, Asahi won an award from marketing agency The Drum for a campaign that, according to an article on The Drum’s website, “elevates the status of training kit and imbues it with the same level of gravitas and symbolism”. ” was started for. First kit and away kit”.
After accepting the award, Asahi said that the campaign – which featured Kevin De Bruyne and John Stones, among others – was City’s most engaged piece of sponsorship material of the season to that point, receiving 19.87 million views and 428,000 interactions. social media.
Superdry also asked the court to stop City from using or selling any items emblazoned with the phrase “Super Dry” and for the club to transfer all such items to the company, or to “destroy or modify” them.
What else is in the court documents?
In documents submitted on 15 December – and viewed by athletic – Superdry has highlighted its 98 UK stores, numerous social media pages and awards won to highlight its popularity as a brand, with celebrities such as David Beckham, Neymar Jr and Kylie Jenner wearing its clothes. Listed for.
It also cited collaborations with rock bands Metallica, The Sex Pistols, Iron Maiden and Mötley Crüe.
City players Julian Alvarez, Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland, Kyle Walker and Oscar Bob are also shown wearing training gear emblazoned with Asahi’s ‘Super “Dry” branding, specifically ‘Super “Dry” Asahi 0.0%’ .
Superdry argues that some photos display not all words will always be visible due to “various factors such as viewing angle and body posture of the wearer”. One of the photos shows Haaland inadvertently covering the “Asahi” logo on his training shirt.
The brand also provides examples of its own clothing where the words ‘Super’ and ‘Dry’ are placed on top of each other, as was the case on the city’s Asahi clothing.
It appears City have already changed their training gear. Last Wednesday, the club posted a photo of women’s team striker Khadijah Shaw in training wearing a half-zip with the words “Asahi 0.0%” written on it. On Thursday, more photos emerged of male players wearing clothing with similar branding.
2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣ Ready! pic.twitter.com/KvIWG33qFx
– Manchester City (@ManCity) 3 January 2024
The last time ‘Super “Dry” branded items were publicly seen was during a Premier League match against Sheffield United on 30 December.
Citi has not commented and it is unclear when they were made aware of the claim against them.
What are the implications for the city?
City announced in July that beer brand Asahi Super “Dry” will feature on both men’s and women’s training gear throughout 2023–24.
In a statement at the time, he said: “Since the beginning of the partnership, the Asahi Super Dry brand has been integrated into many different areas, including the rebrand of the Asahi Super Dry Tunnel Club and the extensive installation of state-of-the-art equipment. ” technology at the Etihad Stadium to provide City fans with the unique Japanese Super Dry taste.
This claim relates only to training apparel rather than the city’s Tunnel Club offering hospitality.
Although the Super “Dry” brand itself belongs to Asahi – and is trademarked in connection with beer advertising rather than clothing – Citi finds itself in the middle of the claim because they own and were selling a product bearing the disputed wording.
There is no date set for any further court hearings and it is unknown when a resolution will be reached.
Superdry, Asahi and Manchester City all declined to comment.
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(Top photos: Getty Images)
