Well done that comedian, we say.
The Fashion blog and other media oitlets are reporting today……..
A British comedian is not amused with Hugo Boss’ penchant for aggressively policing unauthorized uses of its trademark-protected “Boss” name. In response to what he characterizes as the multi-billion dollar German fashion brand’s pattern of sending “cease and desist letters to a number of small businesses and charities who use the word ‘BOSS’ or similar … costing them thousands in legal fees and rebranding,” Joe Lycett has legally changed his name to Hugo Boss.
Sharing a signed “deed pool,” the formal documentation that reflects a legal name change in the United Kingdom, on social media over the weekend, 31-year old Lycett stated, “It’s clear that Hugo Boss HATES people using their name. Unfortunately for them, this week I legally changed my name by deed poll and I am now officially known as Hugo Boss.” He followed up the initial announcement by asserting that he “will be launching a brand new product as Hugo Boss,” which he says will be revealed as part of his part-comedy, part-consumer education television show, Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back.
In furtherance of the trademark-centric stunt, Lycett pointed to a recent back-and-forth between the nearly 100-year old Metzingen, Germany-headquartered fashion brand and Boss Brewing, which erupted after the small Welsh brewery filed to register the names of two of its best-selling beers with the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (“UKIPO”), only to face pushback from the brand. In a cease and desist letter that it sent to the brewery, and in its formal opposition filings with the UKIPO, Hugo Boss asserted that the names of the company’s Boss Black and Boss Boss beers were likely to cause confusion among consumers as to the source of the products or Hugo Boss’ affiliation with them, particularly since the brewery also made and sold branded merch.
