Manchester United may need to pay Chelsea for the rights to Jose Mourinho’s name, when the Portuguese is named as their manager later this week.
The Stamford Bridge club, still own the rights to Mourinho’s name and signature, after they registered it as a trademark with the Intellectual Property Office in 2005, during his first spell.
Apart from being registered in the UK, ‘Jose Mourinho’ is also registered on the European Union’s Intellectual Property Database.
It means Chelsea can use his name on products like leather goods, magnets, cotton wool and pyjamas.
The trademark issue is not expected to hinder Mourinho taking over at United, as discussions have reached an advanced stage. However, the Red Devils may have to pay a fee to Chelsea, if they want to fully exploit his name on their merchandise.
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