PLAYERS
Player's Navy Cut has been registered in the UK for cigarettes since the company was founded by John Player in Nottingham in 1877. The brand's 'Hero' sailor logo — depicting a bearded sailor within a lifebuoy — became one of the most recognisable tobacco trademarks in British history.
UK IPO Record
- Application Number
- UK00004061178
- Word Mark
- PLAYERS
- Status
- Registered
- Applied
- 7 June 2024
- Registered
- 6 September 2024
- Next Renewal
- 7 June 2034
- Owner
- Imperial Tobacco Limited
- Nice Classes
- Class 34
Brand History & Trademark Analysis
Player's Navy Cut has been registered in the UK for cigarettes since the company was founded by John Player in Nottingham in 1877. The brand's 'Hero' sailor logo — depicting a bearded sailor within a lifebuoy — became one of the most recognisable tobacco trademarks in British history. The Nottingham factory was one of the largest cigarette manufacturing sites in the world before its closure in the early 2000s.
The Nottingham factory was one of the largest cigarette manufacturing sites in the world before its closure in the early 2000s.
Nice Class 34 covers tobacco. View all Class 34 trademarks and case studies →
Historical Background
John Player & Sons was founded in Nottingham in 1877. The "Hero" sailor portrait was believed to depict Tom Huntley, a bearded sailor from the fictional portrait. Player's was acquired by Imperial Tobacco in 1901. The brand was heavily advertised using the lifebuoy oval device for over a century, making it one of the most enduring figurative trademarks in British consumer goods, before plain packaging legislation stripped away its visual identity in 2016.