Amazon has apologised after sending a legal notice to a fishmonger demanding his chain of stores stop advertising “prime day” fish.
Robin Moxon, who owns four shops and a fish smokery in London, received an email from lawyers acting on behalf of the online retail giant asking for references to “prime day” boat fish to be “pulled” from Moxon’s website.
Following the request to remove the wording, the high-street seller said he phoned solicitors at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and explained that the term had been used by fish sellers for “hundreds of years” – a response that has elicited an apology from Amazon and the legal practice.
US-based firm Amazon has registered “prime day” – which is its slogan for an annual two-day event of deals and offers for its Prime members – as a trademark.
But Mr Moxon said “prime day” catch was a “nice, neat little phrase” fishmongers used to advertise it had top-quality fish in stock.
Despite the online retailer backing down, Mr Moxon called its attempt to stifle the use of “prime day” branding “heavy handed”
