Proactive Investors - Airline easyJet (LON:EZJ) is suing a Leicester-based band called Easy life due to similarities with its name.
According to the band, the airline’s owner, easyGroup, has threatened legal action if the five-piece band does not change its name.
“I'm certain in no way have we ever affected their business," the band said in a social media statement.
“Although we find this whole situation hilarious, we are virtually powerless against such a massive corporation.”
pic.twitter.com/PzOTu6Mbbl— easy life (@easylife) October 2, 2023
An easyGroup spokesperson commented that it would be unfair to allow the band to use the ‘easy’ name, given others pay royalties for it.
“Stelios [Haji-Ioannou] and easyGroup founded and now own the right to the easy brand name,” they said.
Citing catalogue retailer Easylife - which is not associated with the band - easyGroup explained that the firm paid for the rights to the name as part of its business strategy.
“We cannot allow others to simply use it free, gratis and for nothing,” easyGroup added.“That would be unfair."
News of easyJet’s bid to protect the name comes after Elon Musk’s rebranded Twitter, now called X, was hit with a lawsuit in Florida on Monday over similar accusations.
Ad agency X Social Media accused Musk’s site of trademark infringement, arguing the name change from Twitter had already prompted confusion among customers over the pairs’ association.
Cases over alleged name snatching are not uncommon in fact, with McDonald’s Corporation losing rights to its ‘Big Mac’ trademark in the European Union in 2018.
A UK court ruled in favour of optitian Specsavers against supermarket Asda in 2009 meanwhile, over the latter’s use of the term “specs saver” to advertise its own eyewear products.
More recently, the Colin the Catapillar squabble between Marks and Spencer Group PLC (LSE:LON:MKS) and discounter Aldi marks just one of two recent cases between the two supermarkets, with London’s High Court ruling in favour of the former in a case over light-up gin bottles earlier this year.