Paul Jordan, partner and co-head of the trademark, designs and copyright group at Bristows LLP told The Athletic: "I think for me this just looks like someone, in Cole Palmer, he or his advisors are taking their intellectual property and image rights really seriously. And they're just trying to assemble a bundle of registered rights that they can demonstrate to the world are super important, which might drive value when he’s entering into deals. I think is about assembling a bundle of rights to say, 'hey, look, I take intellectual property seriously, I'm doing everything in my power to button up anything that I think is proprietary to me', rather than you’re going to see lots of lawsuits seeking to restrain other people doing the gesture."
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Palmer's move sees him follow in the footsteps of some greats of the game. Ronaldo has previously trademarked his famous 'Siuuuu' celebration, while Kylian Mbappe has done the same with his signature move of crossing his arms and tucking his hands underneath his armpits after scoring. Former Real Madrid star also Gareth Bale moved to trademark his 'Eleven of Hearts' celebration during his career and Erling Haaland's famous yoga pose has received the same treatment. Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly famously copied Haaland's celebration on the pitch after scoring for Arsenal against Manchester City earlier this year.
Rogers subsequently admitted he had come up with it first: "He definitely copied me. It's my celebration. Check the timeline, I did it first. He's one of my closest friends in life. I couldn't be more proud of him."
Palmer isn't the only player to have used the celebration, with Valencia winger Diego Lopez insisting he came up with the idea first. He told Relevo earlier this year: "I haven't received the receipt yet… I don't know if it's because he doesn't have my address, because they haven't given it to him or why. If you want, I can explain that I have been doing this celebration for four years and I will continue to do it. In fact, I hope to do it more often because it will mean that I have scored a lot of goals."
Palmer's celebration hasn't been seen for some time as the Chelsea star has been out of action since September with a groin injury. He is, however, closing in on a return to action and is expected to be back in the Chelsea squad after the international break. Enzo Maresca has said he is "hopeful" that Palmer will be available for crucial matches against Barcelona in the Champions League and Arsenal in the Premier League.
