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Aussie Rules International

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clarkey

clarkey

Club Legend
Nov 4, 2001
1,585
2
Melbourne
AFL Club
Hawthorn
I am pleased to announce the creation of a new body to assist the growth and development of the world's greatest game – Aussie Rules International (ARI).

We believe it is time to move on from past differences and all work together in future to achieve a common goal – the recognition of our great game as a fully-fledged and recognised international sport.

We look forward to working with all stakeholders who share the same sentiments.

The ARI website can be found at http://www.aussierulesinternational.com.
 
While I am obviously not a stakeholder (well, not unless "interested bystander" is a stakeholder, which I suppose it is really seeing as that is one of the most important commodities international Aussie Rules needs), I'd like to say that this is a nice initiative Clarkey. Of course, the real acid test will be getting the various opinions involved to agree on matters of policy, particularly (based on the conversations in this forum recently) the issues of national qualification and residential status and the number, name, and frequency of international tournaments.

Still, it could be a start, but I think it's going to take more than a link to WFN on the ARI homepage (nice touch, BTW) before everyone is in agreement...
 
seems I have to be very very careful how I put this - dont want to be rebuked ! but does the ARI site not look very similiar to the aussierulesuk site.....
 
Good to see "Aussie Rules International" in use again. Always thought it was a pretty good Web Site title.
It looks like Brian Clarke has moved offshore????
 

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In todays world it probably doesnt matter where it is based, especially when it is all about footy outside Australia.

Clarkey, does this mean the IAFC no longer exists or does this site alongside the IAFC? What individuals are in the current make up of ARI and what are their positions?

Cheers,

Crash
 
Tired of the politics and wanting to spend far more time on football, we have contacted the AFL and offered to wind up the IAFC.

No response as yet.
 
Dingo said:
seems I have to be very very careful how I put this - dont want to be rebuked ! but does the ARI site not look very similiar to the aussierulesuk site.....
Click to expand...

As I understand it, Aussie Rules UK is the england chapter of the ARI, thats why the sites are almost the same...the design that is.

Also ARI isn't a political organisation (as I understand it), but one that actively are doing the hard work of actually bringing footy (getting people to play) to the non-aussie world.
 
clarkey said:
Tired of the politics and wanting to spend far more time on football, we have contacted the AFL and offered to wind up the IAFC.

No response as yet.
Click to expand...

Good idea that, more time for football.

Did you actually think you would get a response ?
 
Response just in:

Dear Sir,

I refer to the following website link:

http://www.aussierulesinternational.com ("Website").

Please be advised that the AFL owns amongst other things registered trade marks including the AFL logo. The AFL is also the owner of copyright in respect of this trade marks.

There is great value attached to the AFL brand and the brands of its associated clubs. Accordingly, the AFL's official licensee's (some of whom operate on-line with our consent), the AFL's official on-line and wireless rights holder and the AFL's corporate partners (all of whom own and operate websites that may represent their association with the AFL) pay a premium fee to, amongst other things, be granted the right to utilise AFL owned intellectual property such as the AFL logo.

Your use of the AFL logo on the Website as evidenced on the link above, is done without the consent of the AFL and is in our view a breach of the AFL's rights as a registered trade mark owner and owner of the copyright in the trade mark.

Further in our view, the use of the trade mark by you represents or connotes that the AFL approves of and associates itself with your Website and that there is some affiliation between your Website and the AFL. This is incorrect.

Accordingly, the AFL demands that you cease utilising the AFL logo in the manner in which you currently are (without our consent) and provide us with written confirmation that you have ceased to do so.
The AFL takes this matter extremely seriously and we will do all within our power to protect our rights, the rights of our corporate partners, licensee's and on-line and wireless rights holders.

I look forward to your prompt response.

Yours sincerely,

Simon Lethlean
Manager - Legal and Business Affairs
Australian Football League
 
That would be a response to ARI, weren't you waiting for the response to windng up the IAFC?

It would seem odd that they would have a problem with that link, but I guess it is theirs to do with as they see fit (especially if they have to protect those that have made a financial contribution to use the logo). I wonder if they understand what the site is about or whether it is an automatically generated letter?
 
Geez, that's a bit bullish. What threat does ARI pose to the AFL?

A worrying thought about the AFL logo though - as I suspect we don't satisfy the AFL's IP requirements to show their logo on our league website and therefore should remove it. Or are we being unnecessarily cautious?
 

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thats a good point - I'm the webmaster for the Irish site (http://www.arfli.com) and we use the AFL logo a lot when we are posting news to do with the AFL - for example regarding the story about Sean Cavanagh joining the lions...

Could that mean that the AFL are gonna come down hard on my little site in the corner of the internet????
 
Dingo, I'd imagine that with as an AFL affiliate, the Irish site would be covered with regards to using the logo.

Vikingsven, I'm not so sure about Sweden, but I'd imagine there are significant issues with the AFL prosecuting you trans-nationally for the use of the logo that would make them unwilling to go to the effort. Additionally, they may not be aware of your using it.

With regard to ARI using the logo, I am surprised that the ARI administrators did not contact the AFL asking permission to use it. I'm not sure whether the IAFC had difficulty gaining permission to use the AFL logo, but I know that worldfootynews.com went through a process of contacting the AFL in order to link to their International Leagues section, even though they do not display the logo on site out of simple courtesy.

Putting myself in AFL shoes for a minute, I can understand that they might have concens about unauthorised use of the logo by ARI. As Crash mentioned, companies pay a lot of money to be associated with the AFL and I suppose that they would wish to protect that trademark source of income. However, I believe a more likely explanation is probably that the AFL can reasonably assume that ARI will be submitting grant applications for government funding among other sources in the future, and expect that grant issuing agencies would visit the ARI website in assessing applications. With the AFL logo displayed on the ARI site, grant issuing agencies might infer that ARI is affiliated in some way with the AFL, which as I understand it isn't currently the case. Therefore, I guess the AFL is trying to nip any miscommunication problems in the bud in requesting their logo's removal before confusion arises.
 
The AFL response would appear to be a little bullish, given how easy it is to get a copy of their logo and link to them from the simplest and most innocent of websites.
But whether or not you agree with the content of the letter, am I alone in thinking it is a little poor form on Clarkey's part to immediately make public a letter from the AFL to ARI? I wonder how Simon Lethlean feels about his letter appearing on the internet so soon.
Unbelievable Clarkey. I think it was very much a great idea and a forward step to ditch the IAFC name and move forward with a fresh organisation and a fresh start. But your very first move has been to tarnish ARI with the same brush that the IAFC has suffered with all these years. Straight away you are in to the controversial tactics that dogged the IAFC name. Will you never learn?
Maybe it's just me, but that's the way I see it. The most positive manner in which you could have responded to the letter is to remove the logo and keep a simple text link, but you couldn't stop yourself.
 
benjamin said:
The AFL response would appear to be a little bullish, given how easy it is to get a copy of their logo and link to them from the simplest and most innocent of websites.
But whether or not you agree with the content of the letter, am I alone in thinking it is a little poor form on Clarkey's part to immediately make public a letter from the AFL to ARI? I wonder how Simon Lethlean feels about his letter appearing on the internet so soon.
Unbelievable Clarkey. I think it was very much a great idea and a forward step to ditch the IAFC name and move forward with a fresh organisation and a fresh start. But your very first move has been to tarnish ARI with the same brush that the IAFC has suffered with all these years. Straight away you are in to the controversial tactics that dogged the IAFC name. Will you never learn?
Maybe it's just me, but that's the way I see it. The most positive manner in which you could have responded to the letter is to remove the logo and keep a simple text link, but you couldn't stop yourself.
Click to expand...

Hear, hear.
 
Perhaps a little bit of history should come to light here.

The IAFC, over the last few months, has extended a "palm of peace" and sought an opportunity to start afresh via a new off-shore based footy development body called ARI; closely working and cooperating within the definitions expressed by the AFL ie AFL is world governing body, "keeper-of-the-code" etc...

The AFL have had ample time to reflect on the offer/opportunity yet have obviously rejected it not via the usual "Dear Brian" letter as would have been standard practice; but via the above legal communication.

Again I ask in all seriousness: What threat does ARI pose to the AFL that sees the AFL responding in this manner, when ARI has only sought goodwill and a sincere opportunity for cooperation to work with the AFL in introducing our great game to both children and young adults in far away lands as well as introducing it to new regions where the game doesn't exist or is in it's infancy?
 
I don't disagree that the AFL are being heavy handed (there are probably thousands of websites with unauthorized AFL logos or links), but that is not the point.
Clarkey has been dealing with them for years, and he probably knows what they think of him and he was more than likely expecting a response like this. My point is, the most diplomatic (and wise) reaction would have been to comply with the AFL's request in the spirit of the "palm of peace", and nip this little controversy in the bud.
By pasting the letter on the internet, it makes it very hard to believe the "palm of peace" story and even harder to believe that anything (other than an acronym) has changed.
 

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it might come to no suprise to many but I have met Brian and can see what he is doing here in the UK and what he is acheiving. I can see that is in sum total, greater than, (considering the prospects and results of his hard work in future) anything that has or could be acheived by one single person interenationaly regarding our great game
The result of his efforts may most likely lead to, nationwide, a schools Competition that will be stronger than that of Victoria.
what do ya think of them apples?
 
I've met Brian, too - had him as a guest at my house. I have alot of respect for what he is trying to do, but sometimes not the way he goes about it.

As for that last comment about a schools competition in the UK to rival Victoria's, can I have some of what you're on? (and I mean no disrespect to Brian there because I doubt anyone could bring about that change of sporting cultures!).
 
I think the AFL know that the ARI is really a renaming of BC's IAFC and there can be confusion that ARI is part of the AFL which of course it isn't.
 
People, can we get back to concentrating on the game itself? Or is that too much to ask?

GoalFlags, what is your name and which BARFL club are you associated with?
 

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