From 2011
The New Zealand Rugby Union has been red-carded in its bid to trademark the silver fern for exclusive use in All Blacks merchandise. See the following articles for more details:
- ESPN https://www.espn.com/rugby/story/_/id/15382523/new-zealand-lose-battle-trademark-silver-fern
- NZ Herald https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10359885
Neil the founder of Crawford Souvenirs was a leading member of this consortium and is quoted as saying that the trademark application “forced us to act to defend a national symbol on a black jersey for future generations, and not be ring-fenced for the commercial benefit of one organisation”.