Bentley loses battle over branded clothes

A FAMILY-RUN clothing business has won a court battle against luxury car manufacturer Bentley over a long-running trademark dispute.

In a ruling at the High Court in London, a judge concluded the car maker had infringed the trademark rights of Manchesterbased Bentley Clothing by using the Bentley name on its own range of goods.

As a result, Bentley Motors will no longer be able to use the name – either on its own or in conjunction with it’s famous “wings” logo – on its clothing range in the UK.

It will also have to limit its range in future to “jackets, silk ties, caps and scarves” and will not be allowed to sell other types of clothing or headgear.

In a statement after the ruling, Bentley Clothing director Chris Lees said: “I could either let Volkswagen-owned Bentley Motors take from us what had been my family’s since 1990, or spend 15 years and our life savings fighting them.

“It’s been ruinous, financially and emotionally, and today’s decision is a huge relief.”

His lawyers said Bentley Motors may now have to pay damages and will also have to either hand over or destroy any items in its possession which infringe the trademark.

The dispute has been ongoing since Bentley Clothing, founded in 1962, first approached the car firm in 1998 and the High Court action was launched in 2017.

Bentley Motors also brought unsuccessful attempts to cancel the clothing firm’s trademark rights at the UK Intellectual Property Office.

Judge Richard Hacon, who heard the case in July, said the evidence gave the “strong impression” that from around 2000 Bentley Motors made a “conscious decision” to develop the use of Bentley in relation to its clothing range.