WWE orders small business in Nottingham, England to re-brand over logo dispute

The Nottingham Post website is reporting that a small business owner in Colwick, a suburb in the east of Greater Nottingham in England, is being pursued by WWE to stop using the logo of his Raw Motors car and van hire company because it’s a replica of the old WWE Raw logo.

Alistair Rowarth, the owner, said that it’s a “coincidence” that the logos look the same and was not ready to back down. “I will fight them for it – they can send anyone they like. I would need some steps to get into the ring as I’ve not been in the gym for about two years,” he said.

His reply to WWE attorneys did not go down well. “This kind of flippant response as set out is extremely disappointing and not constructive. You and your client should understand the importance of intellectual property rights but making an offer such as this appears to demonstrate otherwise and suggests a lack of respect in contrast to that which our client has accorded to yours,” WWE’s legal team replied to his lawyers.

Rowarth has now been given two months to change the logo and replace all the decals on his 60 vans. “We are not changing the name. Never. We are just changing the design,” he said. A manager at his business said that when the e-mail from WWE came in, she thought it was a joke. It will be an expensive re-branding as apart from the vans, they also have to scrap 20,000 printed flyers and the sign across its doors. The company said it had spent thousands on branding.

“They are hitting a small business. We are only in our first year of business and were hoping to make a profit but this is going to put a dent in that. I think we could win the legal battle but we can’t afford to see it through so we thought we had nothing to lose but to challenge them to a fight,” said manager Annamarie Garmston.