The AFL claim they requested a clothing company stop selling T-shirts featuring AFLW star Tayla Harris' likeness because the Carlton forward is pursuing options to make similar merchandise.
Harris was at the centre of a social media storm last week after a photo of her was targeted by trolls, seeing many in the football community throw their support behind the Blues spearhead.
AFL House drew the ire of some of the public on Tuesday after allegedly hitting an independent clothing manufacturer with an intellectual property infringement claim over their use of the photo on T-shirts and badges.
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Though now the AFL has claimed they were protecting the interests of Harris herself who is in the process of investigating her own merchandising opportunities.
Clothing company League Tees say that the AFL had demanded they remove the product from sale, while maintaining that they weren't breaching IP rights.
"This design on this product is our own original artwork and we deny that this design in any way infringes any of the AFL’s intellectual property, or other, rights," a statement read.
"Because we are financially unable to defend this matter in court we have decided to withdraw this product from sale."
The company claim they had made over $1,000 for charity from sales of the T-shirts prior to the AFL's intervention.
Last week we created some products featuring our own original artwork of Tayla Harris. $1002.75 from sales was donated to @theALNF . The AFL has demanded that we remove these products from sale claiming a breach of IP rights. We deny these claims.
— League Tees (@LeagueTees) March 26, 2019
Speaking on Wednesday, AFL general manager of inclusion and social policy Tanya Hosch said they were ensuring Harris had the chance to pursue her own opportunities.
"What's occurred in that instance is that Tayla Harris is already in negotiations with the club to have some merchandise put together herself and intends for all of that to go to charity," Hosch said.
"We just want Tayla to have the opportunity to pursue that in negotiation with her club and, as I understand it, her intention is to make sure that money raised goes to (violence against women charity) Our Watch.
"I guess what were saying here is that Tayla has the right to make a decision about how that image of herself is managed and we want to support her in that opportunity but it doesn't mean that we wouldn't consider supporting the charity that this other artist is wanting to support in relation to women's football."
