Liverpool FC failed to register the term "Liverpool"

"Because of Naples, they think we can no longer play".

Thus spoke Jürgen Klopp on the stage of Best FIFA Football Awards 2019, while he picked up the award for the best manager last season. The problems for the English club, however, are certainly not from the field, but from the court.
After the ongoing legal battle with New Balance, concerning the end of the sponsorship contract and the probable deal with Nike starting from the 2020/2021 season, the Reds have failed to register the intellectual property of the term "Liverpool".

The goal was to defend the club and its fans from imitations, legally protecting the symbols of the company including the name. The Intellectual Property Office rejected the request, preventing the exclusive claim of what first of all remains a geographical significance.
The IPC has thus embraced a protest started by local businesses and smaller city clubs, but also by the "Spirit of Shankly", a small group of Anfield's supporters who have defined the verdict as a "victory for common-sense". The same fans in a statement explained that the decision is right for the community, that they must feel free to use the club's symbols without fear.
Peter Moore, CEO of Liverpool, stated:

“It should be stressed that our application was put forward in good faith and with the sole aim of protecting and furthering the best interests of the club and its supporters. Nevertheless, we accept the decision and the spirit in which it has been made".

Liverpool has failed to do what many Premier League teams like Chelsea and Tottenham have done in the past. Inter had experienced a similar problem in Italy, which in 2014 tried to register the intellectual property of the name, failing it and with a dispute with the newly born MLS team of Inter Miami.