FIFA asks small Vancouver pet shop to take down plush bears wearing World Cup jerseys

Moulton had dressed 20 plush bears in the football jerseys of teams such as England, France, USA, Canada and Mexico, and also publicised them online. But she was soon asked, via email, to remove ‘FIFA-related materials’ from the website, or face a fine over violation of FIFA trademark rules. Under host city responsibilities, infringements can result in fines of up to 1,000 Canadian dollars. There went her hopes of making a small profit from the enthusiasm around the World Cup.

“I wanted customers to be able to have their pups and join in on the fun,” Moulton, owner of Cascadia Natural Pet Supply, was quoted as saying by Vancouver Sun.

“It’s so silly. It’s such a small item to have this level of backlash. It feels like a giant corporation is trying to steal profit from birds with cancer,” she said, referring to five parrots she claims to take care of via veterinary expenses paid through profits from her stores.

Moulton had sourced the bears from Kong – a major US pet products manufacturer – but the price paid didn’t include commercial use of FIFA properties.

“I thought for sure such a big company would have paid the fee to use the FIFA and World Cup trademark,” she said, referring to Kong. “I didn’t second-guess it for a second.”

FIFA restricts the use of protected branding, including FIFA and World Cup, without a commercial licence in marketing or sales. It even monitors online marketplaces and social media for infringements.

Moulton took a parting shot at the way FIFA tries to make a buck from its events at even the slightest pretext.

“They are banning reusable water bottles at the events so they can sell twelve dollar water. Are we sick of the billionaire overreach yet?” she wrote on Instagram.