Fédération Internationale de Football Association(FIFA)
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is the world governing body of
association football and the organizer of all world championship football tournaments,
including its famous tournament, the FIFA World Cup.
The FIFA World Cup is an event staged on a scale of mammoth proportions. As one of themost-watched sporting events on Earth it enjoys phenomenal interest from sports fans andthe business world alike.
The global interest in the FIFA World Cup means that FIFA is able to operate a highly
successful commercial program which it uses to finance not only the FIFA World Cup
tournament but also its other world championship football tournaments, its footballdevelopment projects and its own organisational structure. The existence of FIFA’s
tournaments and development activities is dependent on the commercial success of its
FIFA World Cup tournament.
The keystone of FIFA’s commercial program for the FIFA World Cup tournament is its ability
to attract global sponsors with exclusive rights to use its FIFA World Cup trademarks and toassociate with the tournament.
In order to protect its commercial program FIFA has registered many trademarks covering awide range of product and services categories. FIFA has built up significant goodwill in its
marks over the large number of years of commercial exploitation and this is a valuable andimportant commercial asset.
In addition to Event Emblems, Mascots and Designations, FIFA also protects the trophiesthat correspond to its tournaments. For example, the FIFA World Cup Trophy - recognisedby almost 90% of the world's population - has over 700 mark protection entries in 134
countries.
The unauthorised use of an emblem, word, slogan, trophy or an event title or otherreference to FIFA or a FIFA Event on a merchandising item creates an infringement ofFIFA’s rights. If FIFA becomes aware of the offering for sale of such infringing items oneBay, it will not hesitate to report the listing through the VeRo Program and request theremoval of the corresponding listing.
FAQ:
Q: Why was my listing removed?
A: Your listing was removed from eBay most likely because it offered for sale products
featuring unauthorized reproductions of FIFA’s intellectual property such as copyright andtrademarks. FIFA regularly monitors the Internet, including auction sites, in order to protect
its intellectual property rights. As part of these efforts, FIFA will notify eBay of auction
listings offering for sale products that bear unauthorized reproductions our copyrights and/ortrademarks, and as such, eBay will take the necessary action to comply with its user
policies, which include removing the auction listing from the website.

Q: Why was my auction listing removed when there are other infringing auctions ofsimilar FIFA related merchandise on eBay?
A: FIFA is working diligently to ensure that all unauthorized uses of its intellectual property
are removed from eBay and other auction websites. While we endeavour to remove all
infringing and unauthorized products from eBay, listings are added at a rate and volume
which is difficult to monitor. We do, however, take necessary actions as soon as we becomeaware of infringements.
Q: I think that the item I offered is genuine. How can I tell if it is real?
A: Unauthorized items do not originate from any of FIFA’s official licensees. Usually, youwill be able to determine whether the source of products is official by assessing the overall
product quality. Another way of recognizing unauthorized products is that often they do notbear the correct authentication features that official products do (such as hang tags, official
sew-in labels, correct use of trademarks, legal notice, etc.). As an eBay user, it is yourresponsibility to ensure that the item you are considering to buy or sell is legitimate andauthorized.
Q: Can I list an item if I expressly say that it is NOT GENUINE or UNOFFICIAL?
A: No. Any kind of disclaimer regarding the authenticity of goods does not satisfy thevarious intellectual property laws surrounding the sale of infringing and counterfeit
merchandise.
Q: You took down my item. Can I re-list the item under a different username?
A: No. The original problem with your item is that it is an unauthorised product featuringFIFA’sintellectual property rights. The auction cannot be re-listed under any title if the itemin question is the problem.
Q: Why didn't FIFA contact me directly before reporting my auction to eBay?
A: Given the number of FIFA items posted on eBay, it would take a very large commitmentof time for FIFA to contact each seller individually. Unfortunately, it is not possible for us todo so.
Q: What if I bought the item from a distributor or via a website?
A: It does not matter where you got the unauthorized product or whether you paid for it. If it
is unauthorized, it is illegal to sell it. To protect future customers and resellers on eBay, weask that you please forward the names and contact information of the sources of theunauthorized products to brand.protection@fifa.org.
For specific guidelines and polices that are not answered above, or if you suspect an item
which is unauthorized, go towww.fifa.com/brandprotection or contact us
atbrand.protection@fifa.org