Iceland: Trademark Ruling Prevents Cartoonist From Selling T-Shirts Based On Famous Euro 2016 ‘Viking Clap’ Chant (Photo)

Chris Wright

26th, March 2018

7 Comments

Embed from Getty Images

An Icelandic artist has been told to cease and desist selling a particular t-shirt after the Patent Office in Reykjavik decided that his homage to the ‘Viking clap’ was deemed to infringe on an existing copyright.

As you no doubt recall, the Viking clap (or ‘Thunder clap’ if you’d prefer) came to the fore at Euro 2016, where the Iceland team made it there own as they defied expectation to make it through to the quarter-finals.

Scholars of the clap (ahem), may also know that it was indeed a Scottish invention having originally been deployed by Motherwell fans against Icelandic Europa League opposition back in the 2014.

Anyway, in a Facebook post entitled ‘How The Grinch Stole The Viking Clap‘, artist Hugleiker Dagsson revealed that he is being pressured into stopping the sale of his popular ‘Hú’ shirts as the word ‘Húh’ is apparently already owned under trademark in Iceland.

Image: Hugleiker Dagsson/Facebook

The Patent Office have ruled that ‘Hú’ and ‘Húh’ are actually the same word and therefore Dagsson must either stop printing his shirts or pay royalties to the copyright holder.

Writing on Facebook, Dagsson has contested the decision, claiming that ‘Húh’ isn’t actually grammatically correct in Icelandic and that the chant itself was stolen from Scottish football fans in the first place.

Everyone agrees. [The shirt] sold well. But on this day we received a message from an unnamed person (let’s call him Grinch) who told us he should be “HÚH!” and only he could print it on shirts. This surprised us.

First, we did not know that this unrealistic [legal] move could be used. We thought everyone should have access to this sound/word/shout.

Secondly, I thought we had plundered the clap from Scotland like real Vikings.

Third, it’s not spelled HÚH in my mind. In my opinion, the Icelandic spelling cannot be HÚH because we do not end a word with ‘H’ in our country.

Dagsson also added that he still has t-shirts for sale should fans wish to purchase one before the Patent Office “tape the window shut”, with half the proceeds of all sales being donated directly to the Icelandic Cancer Society.

Posted in Euro 2016, International football, Kits & fashion, Songs & Chants

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7 Comments

  1. MaggyMags says:

    huh?

    That being said, point 2 is solid. Haha :)

  2. Steve says:

    There’s video of Seattle Sounders supporters doing it as far back as 2010 (I have a memory of doing it in 2009, but I could be wrong about that), so it wasn’t invented at Motherwell, either. One of the great mysteries of our time…

    • Blackstock gooner says:

      Yeah, there’s a video of you doing it.

      https://youtu.be/0KQJwuIxtCU

      • Steve says:

        “Funny” and irrelevant. Whatever you think about capos (even IF they were unique to SOME clubs in MLS, which they aren’t), that’s got nothing to do with this chant not being invented in either Iceland or Scotland. Or by the Emerald City Supporters, for that matter, who will tell you they ALSO didn’t invent it.

  3. Archer says:

    Who the heck does this guy think he is? Calvin bleeding Klein! $39 for one of these t shirts – skank. I’d rather be a slave to consumerism and buy the replica shirt.

    • VieuxSang says:

      Have you any idea the money and time spent keeping that cotton alive in Iceland? You’re a heartless bastard.

  4. Ossental Ossentallason says:

    we don’t like football here in Iceland.
    we like ice.
    lots
    and
    lots
    of ice.

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