Who's Pink - Thomas Pink or Victoria's Secret?
In Thomas Pink Limited v Victoria's Secret UK Ltd [2014] EWHC 2631 (Ch) (31 July 2014) Mr Justice Birss had to resolve a dispute between two well known retailers. The claimant was Thomas Pink which had started life as a specialist shirt maker in Jeremyn Street. It is now part of the LVMH Group the interests of which range from champagne to fashion. The defendant was Victoria's Secret UK which is best known for its bras and knickers particularly in the US where it began. Both retailers are diversifying their businesses. Thomas Pink's website has a section for "Women" after "New Collection", "Men", "Shirts", "Ties" and "Accessories" while Victoria's Secret is moving into women's clothing generally. The Dispute The battle arose over the right to use the word "Pink" as a brand. According to Wikipedia the claimant was named after Thomas Pink, an 18th-century tailor, who made the h