BCCI vs Iceland Cricket: The IPL Trademark Dispute

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) once threatened legal action against Iceland Cricket over the use of the “IPL” trademark. To avoid a lawsuit, Iceland Cricket renamed its tournament as Íslensk Premier League (ÍPL).

In a post on X, Iceland Cricket shared that they initially advertised their Icelandic Premier League tournament as IPL. After BCCI’s lawyer sent a warning email, they chose to change their name rather than fight the legal battle.

The email from BCCI’s legal team demanded removal of “IPL” from all promotional materials, citing it as a trademarked term associated with India’s cricket league. Iceland Cricket complied and rebranded their event as ÍPL, which they claim became the world’s most popular T20 franchise tournament in the sub-Arctic region.

Social media reactions were mostly light-hearted. One user joked about adding “ice” to IPL, while another praised Iceland for cleverly renaming their league. Another commented on BCCI’s polite approach and Iceland’s creative solution.

Iceland Cricket even humorously suggested renaming themselves as the Board of Control for Cricket in Iceland (BCCI), with a playful promise that BCCI lawyers wouldn’t sue them.