Bentley ordered to destroy clothing in fashion line trademark row

Since losing a trademark battle with a fashion company, a luxury car manufacturer has been ordered to destroy a range of clothing merchandise. In 2019, the High Court ruled that Bentley Motors had violated the Manchester-based Bentley Clothing trademark. It meant that the car company could not use the Bentley brand on its clothing line in the UK.  Currently, the manufacturer has been ordered to destroy clothes bearing the Bentley logo by 3 February after losing an appeal against the decision. The decision in 2019 meant that Bentley Motors would no longer be allowed to use the brand on its clothing line in the UK, either on its own or in combination with its distinctive logo.  

The court agreed that it would also have to restrict its selection to' jackets, silk ties, caps and scarves' in the future. Bentley Clothing's director, Christopher Lees, said “the company was pleased that the matter had been resolved. We tried to be really fair, but it didn't get us anywhere. They tried to erase our rights so that our company really suffered”. Founded in 1962 by businessman Gerald Bentley, the clothing retailer was later bought in 1990 by the Lees family. The dispute starts to begin when it approached the car giant in 1998 about the branding clash, and after years of talks, the High Court case was initiated in 2017. Bentley Motors made unsuccessful attempts to abolish the Bentley trademark of the clothing company, which it has owned at the UK Intellectual Property Office since 1982.

The manufacturer said that it was "very disappointed" but "fully respects" the decision. It also said that after removing the branding, Bentley Clothing had declined a proposal for them to donate the stock to charity, describing the decision as a "great shame in this time of great need". However, while it was possible to remove the neck labels from most clothes without ruining them, Mr. Lees said the branding could not be removed from inside the fabric of the items. He said that he is sure charities wouldn't be grateful for clothes with holes in them. The Lees' clothing company - owned by Robert and his sons Christopher and Richard, who died in May - employed 400 workers at its peak and had factories in Wigan, Stretford, Rusholme, Ripponden, near Halifax and Ashton-under-Lyne.

In Crewe, Cheshire, Volkswagen-owned Bentley Motors has a manufacturing facility. It announced plans in June to slash up to 1,000 jobs.