After a six-month legal battle, specialist food and drinks marketing company Brand Relations has come out on top against The London Cocktail Club (LCC). LCC has agreed to withdraw in an out-of-court agreement, giving up three crucial categories (32, 33, 21) which would have given them the option to trade in Ready to Drink (RTD) drinks under their name.
The dispute arose from a 10-year-old trademark. Richard Horwell, CEO of Brand Relations, launched his company, London Cocktail, in 2012 in a joint venture with a former business partner. It was only during a scroll through Companies House last year that Richard discovered his former partner had dissolved the company they had created together. After buying the name back from The Treasury, Richard noticed LCC had registered its trademark in the three aforementioned categories.
LCC, a major player in the drinks industry which has the backing of chef Raymond Blanc and Dragon’s Den judge, Sarah Willingham, had to reluctantly bow out of the dispute. Brand Relations have had great success in developing more than 150 successful brands over the years, and Richard is pleased his original trademark for London Cocktail is now back under his own business umbrella.
Richard said: “I launched the company during the year of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond jubilee. It all started during a Royal celebration and it has now ended with a Royal celebration. The timing is perfect now for the brand. The market for RTD cocktails is set to explode as the Hospitality Industry struggles to find staff to make high quality cocktails on site. But more importantly consumers are now looking for that high end Cocktail experience at home rather than paying excessive prices in cocktail bars. It’s very satisfying when the little guy wins but I have always believed that this brand will become one of the biggest RTD cocktail brands in the world. It’s an iconic brand, known and recognised across the globe and I am delighted to have it back.”
Brand Relations has triumphed in a David v Goliath trademark battle with The London Cocktail Club (LCC), with LCC withdrawing in an out-of-court agreement. After six months of legal proceedings, LCC have agreed to give up three crucial categories (32, 33, 21) which would have allowed them to trade in Ready to Drink (RTD) drinks under their name.
Richard Horwell, CEO of Brand Relations, originally launched London Cocktail in 2012 but it was only during a Companies House search last year that Richard discovered his former partner had dissolved the company. After buying the name back from The Treasury, Richard noticed LCC had registered its trademark in the aforementioned categories.
Richard is delighted to have the iconic brand, known worldwide, back under his own business umbrella. He said: “It’s very satisfying when the little guy wins but I have always believed that this brand will become one of the biggest RTD cocktail brands in the world. It’s an iconic brand, known and recognised across the globe and I am delighted to have it back.”
Brand Relations have enjoyed great success in developing more than 150 successful brands over the years, and Richard believes the timing is perfect for London Cocktail to join the ranks. With the Hospitality Industry struggling to find staff to make high quality cocktails on site, consumers are turning to the convenience of RTD drinks.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.