José Mourinho emerged from his house as ManU manager on Friday wearing an adidas T-shirt -- "a reference to the club sponsor that acknowledged the power of merchandising in the celebrity world," according to Bounds & Cookson of the FINANCIAL TIMES. Top managers "have become as prominent as players in recent years and are often the face of the clubs they lead." Mourinho "is an unusual case" as Chelsea retains a trademark for his name for a range of products from aftershave to underwear. Adam Rendle, a media lawyer at Taylor Wessing, said, "It means that United will have to think each time they sell anything branded José Mourinho. They will have to work out whether they are using the name in a way that infringes the trademark." ManU "could do a deal with Chelsea to transfer or licence the trademark" so that it can fully exploit his name.
But it is not just Mourinho’s name at stake. The rights to the phrase "The Special One" -- as the manager dubbed himself when he first arrived in the U.K. to take the reins at Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea -- "are owned by a Portuguese company believed to be connected to the manager." Liverpool has also protected "The Normal One," the way its Manager Jürgen Klopp described himself shortly after he walked into Anfield. Law firm Hardwicke Head of Intellectual Property Mark Engelman said the situation with Mourinho and Chelsea’s retention of trademark was a "unique scenario." He said that people "generally did not part with their rights but licensed them temporarily to others" (FT, 5/27).
