It’s hard to ignore that football fever is currently sweeping the globe. Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen a range of reactions from footballers celebrating goals - from poses, dances, gestures and embraces. It used to simply be an emotional reaction to finding the back of the net. But today, a goal celebration is increasingly becoming a valuable commercial asset.
Football players are no longer just athletes - they are standalone brands. For some time, they have used intellectual property such as trade mark registrations to protect their name, likeness and personal logo. What is new is the growing recognition that an iconic celebration can be just as commercially valuable as a famous name or logo.
Footballers leading the way
Among the most famous examples of a goal celebration is the crossed arms associated with Kylian Mbappé. Mbappé is one of the most proactive athletes in terms of building an extensive intellectual property portfolio. Since 2019, he has registered his well-known crossed-arms pose.
The pose 
has been registered in Europe and the United Kingdom while 
has been registered in France.
Erling Haaland has also registered his meditative celebration 
in his home country Norway as well as Australia, United States, Europe, India, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Both Mbappé and Haaland have registered their celebrations as figurative marks covering a range of products and services from merchandise like clothing, games and bags to entertainment services.
But, it is English footballer Cole Palmer that has really pioneered protection for the celebration.
While he has registrations for the figurative mark 
for his shivering celebration, where he is leading the way is his exploration of motion marks for the celebration too. In 2025, he successfully obtained a United Kingdom registration as a motion mark for his distinctive shiver goal celebration in 16 classes. He has also filed motion marks in Europe and the United States with the applications currently under examination. The applications included a video representation of Palmer performing the gesture.
Motion marks are relatively rare even for non-traditional marks which can include colour, sound and shape marks. This is because they are generally difficult to register as you need evidence of reputation that the public associates the goods and services with the movement which constitutes the motion mark. A simple wave, fist pump or raised arm may struggle to function as a badge of origin because many athletes perform similar movements. However, a football celebration can be a unique form of personal expression. Palmer has shown that motion marks are an option and can add another element to an athlete’s intellectual property strategy.
What does a trade mark registration for a celebration protect?
One common misconception is that obtaining a trade mark registration for a celebration prevents other footballers or fans from copying the celebration during a match. It does not.
What a registration does do is prevent third parties from commercially exploiting that gesture - for example by placing it on clothing, toys, posters, collectibles or advertising without permission. Mbappé and Haaland’s registrations for the figurative mark prevent third parties from using the same or similar overall graphic of the celebration. Palmer’s United Kingdom registration for the motion mark goes one step further and prevents third parties from using the same or similar movement for commercial purposes - for example, an actor using the same movement in a fast food TV commercial.
A broader trend in athlete branding
While football is leading the way, applying intellectual property to brand management applies equally to all professional sports.
Athletes increasingly recognise that their value lies not only in their sporting performance but also in their personal brand. Image rights, trade marks, copyright and design rights now form part of sophisticated commercial portfolios managed alongside sponsorship agreements and endorsement contracts.
The evolution of social media has accelerated this trend. A celebration that is replayed millions of times on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube can become an iconic piece of personal branding almost overnight.
From a legal perspective, protecting those assets early is often considerably less expensive than attempting to recover them after widespread commercial adoption.
Beyond the name and logo
An iconic goal celebration may last only a few seconds on the pitch, but its commercial lifespan can extend for decades through licensing, merchandising and sponsorship.
Players will become ever more sophisticated brand owners long after this tournament ends. This means the trade mark space continue to evolve as we see an increasing number of trade mark applications covering gestures, celebrations and other elements of personality.
