So Liverpool FC have backed down in their bid to register the Liver Bird emblem as a trademark of the club.  This is due to the move being met with not insubstantial opposition and I have to say that I'm intrigued.

Liverpool City Council were preparing a legal counter to The Reds' application based on the fact that the Liver Bird is used as a symbol of the city in administrative and denotative capacities.  But Liverpool (and I mean the football club) made it very clear that the city would be welcome to use the bird as they already do, at no charge, and the action was simply being undertaken to have some legal footing when it came to the battle against unofficial Liverpool merchandise.  Currently the feeling is that non-affiliated shirts, footballs, scarves etc are being sold as competition to the "genuine" apparell and the like.  This is what Liverpool wanted to stamp out.

The city were worried that Liverpool would eventually renege on the above agreement and attach a fee to the use of "their" emblem.  I think this would have been unlikely and not in the football club's best interests but the decisions have now been taken.  So the biggest upshot of this is that the club have to continue with the monstrous multi-coloured crest that adorns the shirts at the moment.