M&S accused of 'ripping off' pub brand name on new T-shirt

The London pub concatenation The Craft Beer Co. has accused Marks & Spencer of "ripping off" its trademark sanction connected a caller T-shirt produced by the retailer.

The T-shirt has the "Craft Beer Co." sanction successful a graphic connected the beforehand and back.

In a statement connected its website, M&S says "the St Michael Brewery-themed graphics connected the backmost and thorax adhd a distinctive theme".

Marks & Spencer has been approached for comment.

In a tweet connected Thursday morning, the pub concatenation asked the retailer "what's the thought with these T-shirts!?"

"Can we expect a royalties cheque successful the post!?" the institution wrote, adding: "Surely 1 Iconic British Institution shouldn't beryllium ripping disconnected another….!!"

In a further tweet the institution said: "It truly is hard to judge successful 2023 specified things tin beryllium signed disconnected by idiosyncratic astatine immense PLC".

The Craft Beer Co. was acceptable up successful Clerkenwell successful 2011 by friends Martin Hayes and Peter Slezak, and present operates 7 pubs successful London and 1 successful Brighton.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Hayes said they were alerted to the T-shirt erstwhile a punter mentioned it to 1 of their barroom unit connected Wednesday.

"I'm not aggravated astir it, but it is simply a small annoying," helium said.

"I've got a batch of respect for M&S. It's an iconic British concern and I deliberation somebody's conscionable made a spot of a boo boo really, but I'm definite it volition beryllium sorted out," helium added.

Mr Hayes said his institution was not readying to instrumentality immoderate ineligible action.

"We're a comparatively tiny concern truthful I don't deliberation we'll beryllium taking connected a PLC. This isn't Aldi versus Marks and Spencer," helium said.

In 2021, M&S took ineligible action against supermarket rival Aldi arguing that the latter's Cuthbert the Caterpillar barroom infringed its Colin the Caterpillar trademark.

Marks and Spencer claimed astatine the clip that Aldi's barroom "rides connected the coat-tails" of its reputation, and lodged an intelligence spot assertion astatine the High Court.

Mr Hayes said helium was beauteous definite M&S would retreat the T-shirt successful immoderate case, calling immoderate of the connection utilized successful the graphic sexist.

One of the lines reads: "Proper bully beer... for due bully blokes", which received an aggravated effect connected Twitter.

"So lone 'proper blokes' tin bask beer? It's 2023!" said one.

"It's truly atrocious wording, precise sexist," said Mr Hayes. "It's hard to judge thing similar that could beryllium enactment connected a T-shirt these days.

"Our pubs are precise inclusive. We've ever championed beer, and it's for everybody.

"I tin spot online that a batch of radical are upset astir it, and I consciousness atrocious astir that. I deliberation it reflects truly severely connected M&S."

Mr Hayes said 1 of their pubs was located precise adjacent to the M&S office successful Paddington successful cardinal London and said a squad from the institution had a booking for this evening.

"I'm not definite if they'll travel now, but if they bash come, they tin remainder assured they'll beryllium treated arsenic good arsenic always," helium said.