The Brighton-based “Lord of the Bins” was ordered to change his name
A small waste disposal company called Lord of the Bins said it was ordered by lawyers to take its name off the Lord of the Rings franchise.
Nick Lockwood and Dan Walker explained how they received a letter asking them to stop using the name to avoid formal action against them.
The Brighton-based company claims they were also ordered to abandon their “One Ring to Remove It All” slogan.
Nick said the demand came after the company went viral online.
He said: “Someone took a picture of the back of our van and posted it on Twitter and it got a little crazy.
“We applied for a trademark to protect Lord of the Bins, but during a two-month opposition period, we received one three or four weeks ago, followed by a formal cease-and-desist letter from Middle Earth Enterprises on January 18.”
The two have sought legal advice on the matter, but have been told the company would face a major court battle which they were unlikely to win and that if they lose, they could face extortionate legal fees.
Nick said: “We’re a super small company – just me and Dan collecting rubbish in Brighton.
“We have only been incorporated for about a year and all our funds are being reinvested in the company. We don’t have the money to go to court against a multi-billion dollar company.
“The general consensus was, if you don’t want to get into a huge legal battle that could cost you thousands, it’s better that you go away and rebrand yourself.”
The pair have expressed hope that the two companies can co-exist “in harmony” and said no one would reasonably consider merging the two companies.
“The Tolkien Estate isn’t going to suddenly decide that it wants to pick up junk – it’s totally different from what its business model is,” Nick said.
He also said customers were “shocked” by the specter of legal action over the brand name and said the cost of the renaming would exceed £5,000.
“Our customers love our name, we love our name and we put a smile on people’s faces when we drive by in our van – it would be great if we could just keep using our name and live happily with Lord of the Rings.” ‘ Nick said.
Middle Earth Enterprises has been contacted for comment.
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/23297984.brighton-based-lord-bins-ordered-change-name/?ref=rss The Brighton-based “Lord of the Bins” was ordered to change his name
