MORE than a storm in a tea-cup is brewing for an Oxfordshire firm after it was threatened with legal action by another firm for using the word ‘Yorkshire’.
Jeeves & Jericho of Oxford launched Yorkshire Brew in June.
The company, based in Stanton Harcourt, which already makes Scottish and Irish teas, said it spent months developing the blend specifically for the Yorkshire market and to complement the water type in the north.
But Taylors of Harrogate, which makes Yorkshire Tea, has ordered the small company to stop using the word Yorkshire in its branding as it had ‘copyright’ on the county.
It has told the village firm to remove the tea from shop shelves.
Jeeves & Jericho said it now had until Wednesday to destroy about £40,000 of stock.
Dominic Boyett, managing director of Jeeves & Jericho, said it was an example of a big company flexing its muscles.
He said: “We have not had dialogue with Taylors directly, but they are in discussions with our legal team. We have invested a lot of time and money in this. Our customers are very upset.”
Registering a location such as Yorkshire as a trademark has recently become possible after a change in the law which has seen Britain fall into line with EU trademark regulations.
A Taylors spokesman said: “We are very proud to fly the flag for Yorkshire on our packaging.
“As a family business, we are not experts on trademarks, but our advisers tell us that we must protect our name for the future of our business and everyone who holds Yorkshire Tea dear.
“We are simply doing what any business, large or small, has to do to protect its name and reputation.”
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