London restaurant in trade mark dispute
18th December 2008
A London restaurant favoured by celebrities may have to change its name after the High Court ruled against it in a trade mark dispute.
The Orient-Express Hotels group, owners of Hotel Cipriani, have a Community trade mark registration for HOTEL CIPRIANI. The hotel's founder, Signor Cipriani, sold his stake in the hotel back in 1967 and the London restaurant is operated by Signor Cipriani's son and grandson, Arrigo and Giuseppe Cipriani (son and grandson of Cipriani senior). The Orient-Express hotel group sued Arrigo and Guiseppe Cipriani for trade mark infringement and the case ended up in the High Court, with judgment last week going resoundingly against the Cipriani family, who may have to change the name of their restaurant if they lose on appeal.
For more details on the dispute, visit the Reuters website.