Handbags between travel multinational and UK woman
International travel company Tui AG has taken action against a UK businesswoman who sells a range of handbags, claiming trademark infringement.
Charlotte Jamme, who set up her own company Mia Tui four years ago, has been targeted by the German-based company, which has ordered her to stop using the name.
Tui, which owns UK subsidiary Thomson Holidays, said there was a "likelihood of confusion" between its company and Mia Tui, which means ‘my bags’ in Vietnamese.
Tui claimed it asked Jamme to "voluntarily remove" the name in July, but that she refused.
It has now officially opposed the trademark registration at the UK Intellectual Property Office.
Tui’s notice claims Mia Tui’s trademark is identical or similar to its earlier trademark and is being registered for identical or similar goods and services.
Jamme applied for the trademark under class 18, covering leather and imitations of leather.
She said Tui had trademarked its name in every single classification possible, and that she wants the company to prove that it trades in goods of leather or imitation leather.
According to the BBC, Jamme has challenged Tui’s opposition and said that when she set the company up she "hadn't heard of Tui".
"I am concerned about the future of my company. We cannot afford to rebrand, we cannot afford to fight it, so I'm in a no-win situation," she said.
Tui said it was "continuously monitoring its registered trademarks" and looked at trademark criteria, not company size or other factors.
A spokesman added that it also markets bags and backpacks under its trademark through its online shops.
