Amazon branded ‘playground bully’ in Kindle spat
Amazon has been branded a “playground bully” after targeting the production company behind a UK children’s TV show for allegedly violating its ‘Kindle’ trademark.
The online retailer has reportedly attempted to block Kindle Entertainment—the maker of the show Big & Small—from registering ‘Kindle Entertainment’ as a UK trademark.
Amazon has claimed the name is too similar to that of the Kindle e-reader it produces.
Kindle Entertainment was founded in 2006, several years before Amazon rolled out the e-reader in the UK.
According to news website The Drum, Amazon has now attempted to stop Kindle Entertainment from registering the trademark for TV shows, despite having already registered the name across several other categories.
The move has led Kindle Entertainment director Anne Brogan to label Amazon a “bully”.
In a statement, Brogan said the company was interested in resolving the dispute but added that Amazon had conducted itself poorly.
Brogan said Kindle Entertainment cannot afford to change its trading name after eight years in business.
She added: “We would love to reach a sensible settlement with Amazon, but it is just behaving like a playground bully.”
Big & Small, which airs on UK TV channel CBeebies, features the voice of comedian Lenny Henry.
It tells the story of two furry creatures (one big and one small) that live in a countryside house and invite the audience to join them on adventures.
Kindle Entertainment and Amazon did not respond immediately to a request for comment from WIPR.
