Anti Copying in Design (ACID) member, Martin Moore Ltd, designer and manufacturer of luxury, bespoke, hand crafted kitchens, has resolved a recent dispute arising from alleged misuse of its trade marks in Google advertisements by competitor, Tom Howley Limited.

Martin Moore became aware of the appearance of its UK trade marks ‘Martin Moore’ and ‘Martin Moore Kitchens’ in advertisements directing users to the Tom Howley website, an alleged infringement of those trade marks. Martin Moore subsequently wrote to Tom Howley, via ACID legal affiliates McDaniels Law, setting out the allegations of infringement and, after some brief back and forth correspondence, was able to resolve the matter without the need to issue legal proceedings. An amicable settlement was reached between the parties including the provision of undertakings.

Kelly Hudson, Director of McDaniels Law, an ACID Legal Affiliate, said,  “This case demonstrates the power of owning and enforcing both unregistered and registered trade marks to protect your company and/or product names from alleged infringements. Swift action in this case resulted in early resolution. Trade marks are an invaluable asset to any business seeking to safeguard its brand”.

Richard Moore, Creative Director of Martin Moore Ltd, said, , “We are marking our 50th anniversary this year and have worked tirelessly over this period to build both an unrivalled reputation and brand. It is therefore very important for us to protect our trade mark. We would like to thank both McDaniels Law and ACID for their invaluable support”.

ACID CEO Laura Newbold Breen added, “It’s great to see another ACID member having a huge success alongside our ACID Legal Affiliates. Martin Moore’s brand strength makes them stand out from their competitors, so enforcing their IP in infringement of their trade mark inn this way ensures its value is not eroded. We are delighted with this outcome and wish them many congratulations on their 50^th anniversary”.

Martin Moore Ltd.