Charlotte Duly quoted in Retail Gazette on House of Zana trademark dispute

Zara has threated legal action against an independent fashion boutique, House of Zana, claiming the branding of the independent retailer is "conceptually identical" to its own branding.

Charlotte Duly, Partner and Head of Brand Protection comments: 

“Everyone loves a David and Goliath battle, and the public often take the side of the smaller party as no one likes to see a multinational bully.

However, Zara is within its rights to protect and enforce its intellectual property. Ms Kotrri’s business may be small at the moment but that may not always be the case. The key part of Kotrri’s mark is arguably Zana which is similar to Zara. Her trade mark application is for a logo and the font used makes it difficult to immediately see if the name is Zana or Zara.

In cases like this, where the opponent has at least an arguable case, there seems to be merit in reaching settlement and having control over the timing of any rebrand or other amendments that may be required.”

Charlotte’s quote first appeared in Retail Gazette.