Come On Lil’ Lleyton
Those of you in Brisbane (or even Australia and the world it seems) will most likely be aware of the battle between Josh Shiels and Australian tennis star Lleyton Hewitt of the trademark dispute of the ‘Come On’ brand that Josh created a number of years ago.
As a friend of Josh and his son Liam (we dance at the same Irish dancing school in Brisbane) I can say for a fact that Josh’s brand has nothing to do with Lleyton Hewitt. I remember when Josh trademarked the brand years ago. I also remember Josh telling me that he was about to be sued by Lleyton Hewitt Marketing for breach of copyright. At the time I didn’t think he would ever win – most celebrities with plenty of cash will often drag you through a long, expensive battle where the lawyers are the only ones who win.
But he proved me wrong – the hearing officer Claudia Murray tossed out the application to strip Josh of the rights to the “come on” trademark, saying he’d clearly demonstrated “genuine commercial use” as he’d set out to do in 2004. Plus she ordered LHM to pay Shiels’ court costs.
Good on ya Josh!
Read the Courier Mail article: ‘Lleyton Hewitt in court dispute over ‘come on’ catchcry’
Yours in design,
Janet
