Latest / Best of Business / Simon Graafhuis: Chiefs CEO on the Super Rugby team's legal action against the PNG Chiefs

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Simon Graafhuis: Chiefs CEO on the Super Rugby team's legal action against the PNG Chiefs · Best of Business

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from Newstalk ZB.
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
• 0:16
  Speaker 3: Heather Duplessy-Allen.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: Just got a funny text on Winston Peters and his
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: weird policy positions in the last few hours, and I'll
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: run you through that when I get a chance.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: It's 19 past five.
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: New Zealand Rugby is taking legal action to stop the
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: NRL from using the Chiefs team name for the new
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: PNG squad. NZR says the name is trademarked. Simon Grafis
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: is the CEO of the Chiefs... I'm obviously referring to
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: the super rugby side here, and he's with us now.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Hi, Simon.
• 0:42
  Speaker 3: Hello. How are you?
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: I'm well, thanks, mate.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: What are you worried about?
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  Speaker 3: Oh, loss of brand, you know, dilution of brand in
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: terms of our fans and sponsors and 30 years of
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: hard work that's gone into it.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: Are you worried?
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  Speaker 2: Because the NRL boys, they can get up to no
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: good as well. Are you worried about, you know, a
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: headline that says, chiefs player does something outrageous and people
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: think it's your guys.
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: Well obviously yeah that's obviously a risk too um you
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: know i mean we've even you know there's we've seen
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: already with with players that are that are going to
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  Speaker 3: the chiefs and um people people um like a text
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: through to say oh it's good to see you've got
• 1:25
  Speaker 3: got that player and it's not coming to us so
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  Speaker 3: um The Australian IP office has already declined the NRL
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: a couple of times around potential confusion. So in terms
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: of brand and IP law, I think it's pretty clear.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: Simon, how often have you got a text like that?
• 1:47
  Speaker 3: More in recent times, until the NRL suggested a new
• 1:52
  Speaker 3: team in PNG, I didn't receive any.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: Now, OK, here's the thing, though.
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: Is there a precedent that you're going to have a
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: difficulty with, which is that we've got the Blues in
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: Super Rugby, but there's also the Blues in Rugby League?
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: Well, I mean, like I say, Chiefs has had a
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: trademark registered since 1998. So there's an element of, there's
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: pretty strong protection. I'm not sure about, I actually don't
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: think you can trademark a colour. So maybe that's something
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: a little bit different. But a name and a brand
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: can certainly be registered and trademarked.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: I think Coca-Cola did trademark its red. You might actually
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: be able to. Have you seen their logo, by the way?
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: No. No, and haven't seen their colours or their logo.
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: But as soon as we heard about it, we've obviously
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: tried to be working on it for over 12 months
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: to try to find a resolution.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so you've been talking to the NRL, have you?
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: Well, New Zealand Rugby have, and it's probably a little
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: bit technical, but New Zealand Rugby own all the brands
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: in New Zealand, and under our licence, we're allowed to
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: use it.
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and so NRLs being intransigent.
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: Are they? Yeah, yeah. So we'll wait and see what happens,
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: and I think it's in everyone's interest to try to
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: resolve it before a launch is done and there is
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: any damage. Good stuff.
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: Hey, Simon, good to talk to you. Best of luck
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: with that. Simon Grafis, Chief CEO.