Icelandic Cricket Association recently revealed that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) once threatened to sue Iceland Cricket over the use of ‘IPL’ trademark. To avoid the clash and a lawsuit, ÍPL was chosen to represent Íslensk Premier League.
In a post on X, it stated, “There was once a time when the @bcci lawyer’s threatened to sue us. We made the mistake of advertising our Icelandic Premier League tournament as the IPL. We decided we could either fight back or give in. We gave in. Íslensk Premier League (ÍPL) it became.”
Claiming that ÍPL became the world’s most popular T20 franchise tournament in the sub-Arctic, Iceland Cricket said, “Once it became the ÍPL, they never emailed us again, and our franchise tournament became the world’s most popular T20 franchise tournament*.”
What was inside the email sent by BCCI’s legal team?
Iceland Cricket shared the email it received on behalf of BCCI on 17 April 2022 in relation to use of IPL trademark in online promotion of Icelandic Premier League tournament. The email states, “We represent the legal interests of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (“BCCI”), the governing body for cricket in India and the governing body of the Indian Premier League (IPL”). We are writing to you in relation to Iceland Cricket Association’s usage of the IPL proprietary name in an online promotion.”
It added, “We request you to suitably amend the content of your promotion, including any promotional or advertising materials on your social media pages or your website or any websites owned and/or controlled by you, and to remove any references to the IPL’s proprietary name.”
Social media reaction
A user wrote, “BCCI said IPL is ours and Iceland said ok boss we’ll just add ice to it 😂.”
Another user remarked, “BCCI playing chess, Iceland playing wordplay…”
A third user said, “That’s what someone with less money should do.”
A fourth comment read, “Iceland cricket be like: We weren’t scared.…We were just being polite 😌 Also ÍPL sounds way more elite 💀”
A fifth user quipped, “Calling that a “threat” is a reach—it’s rather surprisingly polite. 😅 That is basic IP protection. Try using EPL – Extremely Polar League, or NBA – Nordic Batting Alliance next time.”
A sixth user joked, “Hey @icelandcricket, feel free to rename yourselves the Board of Control for Cricket in Iceland (BCCI). We promise the @BCCI lawyers won’t sue you.”
