TA not TM

TA not TM

In 2013 Major League Soccer tried to trademark the Cascadia Cup. Ultimately, they failed. This patch speaks to the attempt to co-opt supporter’s culture for commercial gain.

Quotes from the creators:

Tim Howard: It is a protest on the trademark of previously created TA items by MLS.

Mike Schwartz: In my view, it’s not a protest, it’s a statement: the TA is a state of mind, not a commercial entity (the IST and No Pity Originals are of the TA, but are not the TA itself). The MLS/Cascadia Cup trademark bullshit, and even our own team store’s use of TA chants, etc are standout examples of commercial entities exploiting our originality, which is born out of pride and passion, not for commercial gain. The real protest is buying merch at the NPV, and even fan-made patches, stickers, buttons, etc, not trademarked Adidas stuff.