Comedian Joe Lycett changes name to Hugo Boss in the blink of an eye at fashion house | Step

Hugo Boss has long been a dominant brand in designer clothes and expensive perfumes, but it hasn't had a lot of experience in entertainment.

That is about to change, though without the blessing of German fashion houses, after British comedian Joe Lycett changed his name to Hugo Boss by voting as part of a surrealist revenge mission for a number of small businesses, including a Welsh craft brewery.

Lycett, now Hugo Boss, brought action after the other Hugo Boss was charged with heavy litigation against small businesses and charities that use the word boss on their behalf. Among its targets was Boss Brewing, a craft brewery based in Swansea, whose own boss described the waterfall as brilliant from the point of view of David and Goliath, who drew attention to the stupidity of the approach fashion companies.

On Twitter, where he also changed the name of his account to Hugo Boss, the actors' bio now reads: I am the actor formerly known as Joe Lycett. Its Wikipedia page has also been updated.

He tweeted: So Hugo Boss (who makes a turnover of around $ 2.7 billion a year) sent cease and desist letters to a number of small businesses and charities that use the word BOSS or similar, including a small brewery in Swansea, which costs them thousands of lawyers. and rebranding.

It is clear that Hugo Boss hates people by using their name. Unfortunately for them this week, I legally changed my name by poll and I am now officially known as Hugo Boss. All future statements from me are not from Joe Lycett but from Hugo Boss. Enjoy.

Attached was an image of a letter of voting by deed that appeared to confirm the change and a new signature with an unusually phallic structure.

Boss, 31, added that he would launch a brand new product under the name of Hugo Boss, details of which would be revealed on Joe Lycetts' new series Got Your Back, on channel 4. The show inspires big business to fight for British Consumer rights.

Hugo boss
(@Joelycett)

It's clear that @HUGO BOSS HATE people who use their name. Unfortunately for them this week, I legally changed my name by poll and I am now officially known as Hugo Boss. All future statements from me will not be from Joe Lycett but from Hugo Boss. Enjoy. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/IlDoCrfmaO

March 1, 2020

Speaking later on BBC Victoria Derbyshire's program, Boss said he wanted the fashion brand to stop taking such legal action and apologized to the companies involved.

WalesOnline reported in August of last year that Boss Brewing was left with a legal bill of 10,000 after the luxury designer brand sent it a cease and desist letter when the brewer had registered a trademark for his name, a process that usually costs 300.

Sarah John, one of the founders and owners of Boss Brewing, said that moving the comedians was such a brilliant way to show support.

After a long and long legal struggle with Hugo Boss, the brewery was able to keep its name but had to rename two of its award-winning craft beers and stop selling clothes.

John said that in addition to the legal fees, the brand change process cost more than $ 20,000 after the items were relabelled and the old inventory was discarded.

It is a high-end fashion brand; were craft beer, she told the Guardian. I really don't think there is any confusion, so it was a bit useless.

(What Joe did) is brilliant from David and Goliath's point of view. He drew attention to the big companies that are shedding their weight. He massively put the subject on the agenda, everyone is talking about it, he went viral on social networks. And by doing it with humor, it shows how stupid all this is.

The newspaper i reported in 2018, a charity called DarkGirlBoss had received a legal letter from Hugo Boss when he attempted to register his trademark.

The luxury fashion house, often called BOSS, was founded in Metzingen, Germany, in 1924. It produced and supplied uniforms for the Nazi party. After the Second World War, the eponymous owner was tried and fined for supporting Nazism.

In 2011, the fashion giant apologized for using Polish and French forced labor during the Second World War to make uniforms.

Hugo Boss, the fashion brand, was asked to comment, as did Hugo Boss, the actor.

A brief history of brand battles

McDonalds
The fast food titan sparked and lost an eight-year legal dispute against a Malaysian curry restaurant that used the term McCurry. In 2009, the federal court dismissed an appeal from McDonalds Corporation against an earlier ruling that authorized the curry house in Kuala Lumpur to use the prefix Mc. McDonalds also had to pay fees.

Bentley Motors
The luxury car maker lost a 20-year brand dispute with a family-owned clothing store in 2019. The High Court ruled that the Cheshire-based company had violated the trademark rights of Manchester-based Bentley Clothing using the name Bentley in its own range. clothing.

BrewDog
In 2017, the brewer threatened legal action to prevent a Leeds bar from using the term punk in its name. BrewDog, which owns the punk brand for beer only, said the bar would serve beer meant that its trademark rights would be infringed.

McDonalds (again)
McDonalds faced a second loss in 2019, this time following a dispute with the small Irish restaurant chain Supermacs over rights to the Big Mac name. The European Union Intellectual Property Office has ruled that McDonalds does not have the exclusive right to the Big Mac brand in Europe after the company attempted to prevent Supermacs from spanning the continent.

Innocent
In 2011, the beverage company wrote to a Sussex-based children's vitamin brand asking it to cease operations under the name of Innocent Vitamins after filing a trademark application. He also claimed that the logo of the vitamin company was too similar to his because the word innocent was written in lowercase.