The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
National Trust threatens firm over trademark use
Charity tells company to stop using name on jackets
The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has been accused of bullying after threatening a small Scottish business with legal action over use of the name Glencoe.
Lawyers acting on behalf of the charity, which owns most of the glen, have ordered Aboyne-based Hilltrek Outdoor Clothing to immediately stop selling its £365 Glencoe waterproof jacket.
A letter issued to owner Dave Shand said the charity was the “registered proprietor of the UK trademark registration for Glencoe”.
Concern was raised by community leaders in Glencoe when the trademark was first registered in 2015 but NTS said it would not impact on local businesses.
The letter added: “NTS seeks to ensure that only goods and services of suppliers with geographical links to Glencoe can bear the name Glencoe and also to protect the interests of the local community and local trade in Glencoe.
The letter concludes by saying legal action could follow if the company did not comply by August 11.
Mr Shand, who bought Hilltrek Outdoor Clothing in 2003, said that the company, which employs just three other people, had been making the jacket for between 25 and 30 years.
Hundreds of people have responded after he posted the letter on Facebook, including many NTS members threatening to cancel their membership.
Describing the moment he received the letter, Mr Shand said: “I was really angry, I just couldn’t believe it. I was stunned by it.”
Of the jacket, he said: “We don’t produce huge numbers and our product is a premium product. It’s not a ‘See You Jimmy’ hat with Glencoe on it. It’s a top-end product.
“I need to take legal advice on Monday but I hope the NTS will approach us and we’ll have some useful dialogue rather than this nonsense.
“This is what I would have expected of them as an organisation – send a letter saying ‘you are infringing our trademark but we’d like to know more about your product to see if it fits in with our brand’.
“That’s what I would have expected, a reasonable approach rather than bullying.”
A spokeswoman for NTS said: “The National Trust for Scotland does hold the trademark for the name Glencoe and as such there are restrictions on how the name can be used by other parties.”