Welsh clothing brand is forced to shut down after being threatened with legal action for printing ‘Snowdonia’ – where it is based – on its designs because JD Williams has trademarked the word
- Eryri Clothing was sent a ‘cease and desist’ letter last month from JD Williams
- The independent brand had ‘Snowdonia’ printed across a dozen different design
- But JD Williams has seemingly owned the trademark for ‘Snowdonia’ since 2013
A Welsh clothing brand has been threatened with legal action and told it can’t print ‘Snowdonia’ on any of its designs – because an English company owns the trademark.
Eryri Clothing was sent a ‘cease and desist’ letter last month from Manchester-based fashion chain JD Williams which owns the likes of Simply Be and Jacamo.
It has seemingly owned the trademark for ‘Snowdonia’ since 2013 and has now banned the independent company from using the place name – where it is based – on apparel.
The independent brand – which launched in 2019 under the name Snowdonia Eco Friendly Clothing – had the word printed across a dozen different designs.
It attempted to respond to the ban by trademarking the place name of ‘Eryri’ – the Welsh for Snowdonia – but in contrast was rejected because it’s a geographical location.
The company has been forced to shut down during the legal battle.
Welsh clothing brand Eryri Clothing has been threatened with legal action and told it cannot print ‘Snowdonia’ on any of its designs (left and right) – because an English company owns the trademark
JD Williams – which has recently bagged Amanda Holden and Davina McCall as brand ambassadors – dubs itself the UK’s leading direct home shopping company.
In a statement posted online, the owners of Eryri Clothing said: ‘To all of our customers and followers,
‘Unfortunately we were sent a cease and desist order by Manchester based JD Williams for using the word ‘Snowdonia’ on our clothing.
‘As we do not have the resources to fight one of the biggest law firms in the world. we were forced to sign.
‘JD Williams trademarked the name of the mountain range to use on their products sold on Jacamo and SimplyBe.
‘Thank you to everyone who supported the brand in our short time!
‘Whether you bought something from the store, helped with photography or simply liked our posts, we are super grateful.
‘We still love seeing people in the area wearing our shirts and you can consider them vintage contraband now!
‘It’s goodbye for now but hopefully not forever.’
In a statement posted online, the owners of Eryri Clothing said it was sent a ‘cease and desist’ letter last month from Manchester-based fashion chain JD Williams which owns the likes of Simply Be and Jacamo
The company later said it was not after ‘revenge’ but wanted ‘fairness and consistency from the IPO’.
They are now continuing to liaise with the IPO and the Welsh government to overturn the decision.
The notice said retailer JD Williams held the trademark for the Snowdonia name on clothing, footwear, and headgear products since having its application approved by the European Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in 2013.
The transformation of rights was automatically transferred to the UK IPO after Brexit.
A spokesman for Eryri Clothing said: ‘At this moment in time whilst we are in discussion with the IPO, IP lawyers and The Welsh Government, we are making an effort to keep all of our communications on our social media.
‘We’ve put the facts out there into the public for now.’
JD Williams has been contacted for comment.
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