The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has accused a small UK clothing company of infringing its trade mark by advertising and selling a popular Glencoe-branded waterproof jacket.
According to reports, the NTS – which owns the majority of the Glencoe Highland beauty area – has sent a formal letter to independent retailer Hilltrek Outdoor Clothing requesting that it stops selling the product immediately.
The NTS – which believes its trade mark has been infringed – has threatened to take legal action against the Aberdeenshire-based retailer should it not comply with the request.
In an interview with BBC News, Hilltrek owner David Shand said he was “shocked” that the NTS believed it “could trade mark the name of a place.”
He added that he was equally stunned by the organisation’s audacity and aggressive “attitude” to the issue.
“A polite letter should have been their first step I think, explaining the situation and asking for a dialogue.
“The irking thing is I am a NTS supporter – I was a member until about two years ago,” he said.
In response, a spokesperson on behalf of NTS has said that trade marks had been registered for many of its properties all across Scotland “as a defensive measure”.
He said: “Our only desire is to protect the properties in our care and stop them being exploited in ways which do not accord with our charitable purposes.”
However, upon being accused of bullying, the organisation admitted that “in retrospect,” the letter sent to Hilltrek may have been “too harsh in tone”.
Their spokesperson said: “Our letter to Hilltrek was intended to open up negotiation to establish if the company had legal prior trading rights and clearly the wording and tone did not convey this.”