Tiny Zana gives mighty Zara a dressing down
Boutique beats Spanish giant in trademark battle
A SMALL fashion boutique has won a legal battle with Zara after the global chain tried to get it to change its name.
House of Zana in Darlington faced closure after Zara objected when its owner applied to trademark the name.
The Spanish-owned retailer, which has almost 3,000 shops worldwide, argued that House of Zana was ‘conceptually identical’ to Zara and the average customer would confuse it.
It claimed the name could be misheard or mispronounced, resulting in confusion.
Amber Kotrri – a mother of two who founded the business four years ago, naming it after the Albanian word for fairy – called the claim ‘ludicrous’.
Zara’s lawyers wanted her to remove all labels from clothing and close her business, which specialises in handmade kimonos.
But Mrs Kotrri was determined to save the company she had worked hard to build up and the dispute went to a trademark tribunal hearing.
Zara’s lawyers even demanded to be awarded costs ‘at the very upper end of the scale’ if successful, which could have bankrupted her.
More than 90,000 signed an online petition calling for Zara to stop its challenge. And now a judge has ruled in favour of Mrs Kotrri, saying the names are different enough not to confuse the average shopper.
Matthew Williams said: ‘I accept that the choice of name is prompted by Miss Kotrri’s Albanian heritage and the idea of clothes manufactured with the magical delicacy of fairies, and I find no cynical motive in the use of the name.’
A delighted Mrs Kotrri told her supporters: ‘We won. The trademark will be granted and sense has been seen.
‘I am so, so happy. You all gave me the courage needed to take on Zara.’
Zara said: ‘We continue to wish Mrs Kotrri and her business success in the future.’