Morrisons caught up in trademark dispute with fish wholesaler

Is there something fishy about Morrisons’ trademark applications?

JCS Fish, a wholesaler based in Lincolnshire in the UK, thinks so. The company filed oppositions to two of Morrisons’ trademark applications covering its The Big Fish Company range of products.

The Morrisons applications cover the name ‘The Big Fish Company’ and the logo, which features the name of the company underneath an image of a fish.

Morrisons filed both trademark applications at the UK Intellectual Property Office on July 2 to cover fish and agricultural products, as well as retail services.

JCS Fish complained that the trademarks are too similar to its own Big Fish brand of fish products. It filed its oppositions to the marks on December 23.

Andrew Coulbeck, managing director of JCS Fish, said: “We don’t understand why, when they surely knew about us, Morrisons would want to choose a brand which is so close to ours. It just feels like they are trampling on a smaller business.

“It is very disappointing that a big retailer such as Morrisons sees the need to pursue an action which could directly threaten the future of a smaller, family-run business such as ours.”