Harris Tweed Authority wins trademark infringement case

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Apr 10, 2018

Harris Tweed Authority, a statutory body set up to protect the authenticity of Scotland’s Harris Tweed cloth, has won £25,000 in damages in a trademark infringement case against House of Scotland.

The Authority launched the legal action after realising that House of Scotland was using the famous Harris Tweed name and Orb trademark on the outside of its seven retail stores in central Scotland without permission.

It raised an action in the Court of Session in Edinburgh against the company in February 2017, seeking to prevent the continued misuse of the Harris Tweed name and orb symbol, Scottish Legal reported.

The famous cloth is produced by traditional methods by islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It has been protected since 1993 to ensure its standard, authenticity and reputation.

Lorna MacAulay, chief executive of the Harris Tweed Authority said: “We believe the outcome of this case was the correct one. It has taken generations to build Harris Tweed into the global success that it is today, and it is imperative that we safeguard it for future generations to enjoy.

"The Harris Tweed Authority takes its statutory duty to protect the brand very seriously. We continue to work closely with our lawyers Burness Paull LLP to maintain the integrity of the Harris Tweed brand and to curb any infringement of it, be that online or in retail stores.”

Harris Tweed is the only fabric in the world governed by its own Act of Parliament, the Harris Tweed Act of 1993.