Nando’s takes on chicken shop in trademark claim
Restaurant chain Nando’s has threatened legal action against a chicken shop, accusing the eatery of using similar cockerel and chilli images.
Fernando’s, based in Reading, UK, received a letter from lawyers representing Nando’s, Bird & Bird, last week, according to InYourArea, a local news community platform.
The letter claimed that cockerel and chilli images that Fernando’s uses on its menus and in store are “highly similar” to Nando’s-owned trademarks ‘Barcelos Cockerel’ and ‘Peri-ometer’.
Nando’s also claimed that the Fernando’s name is too similar to its own.
According to InYourArea, Fernando’s director Asam Aziz feels that he is being bullied into changing his company’s name.
Aziz claimed that he got the idea for the restaurant’s name from dating show “Take Me Out”, where couples take a trip to the island of Fernando’s (a fictitious name for the town of Puerto de la Cruz, which sits on the northern coast of Tenerife).
“The worst case scenario is I’ll have to give up the rights to Fernando’s, I’ll have to give up the rights to the chicken and I’ll have to give up rights to the chilli and start re-branding from the beginning, so I’ll have to have a new name, new rights and everything,” he said.
Nando’s and its lawyers have been contacted for comment.
A Nando’s spokesperson said: “We are really proud of our brand and we know it means a lot to our customers. That’s why whenever we think there is trademark infringement we try to sort it out amicably.”
It has asked Fernando’s to rebrand because Nando’s believes the eatery is “trying to benefit from some of things that make us who we are—our menu, logo and even our name”.
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