The Premier League is also considering taking legal action against NFTs
Chelsea are thought to be looking into the sale of digital artwork, which uses the club’s badge and intellectual property, that is being promoted by John Terry, as reported by The Athletic.
It is also thought that the Premier League is considering taking legal action against a set of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) being promoted by former footballers – including Terry – for the use of the Premier League trophy in the images.
NFTs – which are a digital asset stored as part of the blockchain and traded in the form of cryptocurrency – are bought and sold online, with several high-profile footballers recently getting involved.
A number of ape-related images have been promoted by former club captain Terry in recent weeks, with Ashley Cole also promoting one as well.
The ape’s designs have sparked controversy, with several of Terry’s posts including the Chelsea badge and Chelsea kits – trademarks which are protected by intellectual property law, as is the case with the trophies used in the graphic(s).
As per The Athletic, a UEFA statement said: “UEFA takes the protection of its intellectual property rights seriously and we are investigating this matter further.”
https://twitter.com/JohnTerry26/status/1484133963916615682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1484133963916615682%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joe.co.uk%2Fsport%2Fpl-could-take-legal-action-over-nfts-being-promoted-by-footballers-313638
According to The Athletic, none of the NFT content is affiliated with the club in any way.
Terry is currently working at Chelsea’s academy after leaving his role as assistant manager at Aston Villa last summer.
The ex-England defender has been posting about NFTs regularly in the past few weeks – with many critics describing the controversial digital tokens are ‘speculative and a potentially dangerous financial asset.’
Other clubs in the English top-flight have reservations around the use of NFTs, despite several Premier League players promoting the use of them.
Related links:
- Premier League could take legal action over NFTs being promoted by John Terry and others
- Bored Ape NFT accidentally sells for $3000 rather than $300,000
- Premier League pledges to investigate links between cryptocurrency and clubs
