Lions ban clubs from using their branding

The Lions are not making friends among the broader rugby community as their commercial team prevent other clubs from ‘unofficial’ use of the Lions name.
Rugby clubs, many of which have traditionally held dinners attended by former Lions players as a means of fund-raising, or supporting charities, are being informed by lawyers that they are not entitled to use the brand to promote their events.
Among the most striking examples of this attempt at establishing ring-fenced intellectual property around the Lions name is a request made to Cambridge University to drop it from the promotional material for their forthcoming Legends dinner on April 26.
The irony is that Cambridge University, who have provided the Lions with a record 73 players – more than any other club in Britain or Ireland – number Gerald Davies, the chairman of the Lions committee, and John Spencer, the manager of this summer’s tour of New Zealand among their alumni.
Add to that more recent stars like Gavin Hastings, Paul Ackford, Rob Andrew, and Jamie Roberts, all of whom are billed to attend the Cambridge University dinner, and the brand name restriction raises complex questions.
The programme from the 2013 Lions dinner which was described as a ‘Night with the Cambridge University Lions’, has now been changed for the 2017 edition to a ‘Night with the Big Cats’.
One former Lion took a dim view of the shenanigans: “What those running the Lions commercial department have to ask is when is a Lion not a Lion? I suspect that if this was tested in the law courts they would have a very flimsy case.”
One of the underlying motives behind the Lions commercial department’s protectionist policy is that they have four official charity dinners to sell, in London, Edinburgh, Dublin and Cardiff over the next couple of months.
The scheduling of their London event on May 11, which is advertised at £299 per head (excluding VAT), may not be helped by being held just 24 hours after the popular and well-established RPA (Rugby Players’ Association) Dinner on May 10. At the same venue.
NICK CAIN