London - Luxury fashion house Chanel has lost a legal battle to trademark the word “Jersey” for its new perfume after officials in the Channel Islands campaigned against it.
The iconic French brand sought rights to the name because its founder Coco Chanel famously made clothes from jersey fabric.
But Island officials were concerned that using the region's name with a capital 'J' would lead buyers to believe the fragrance was produced locally.
The UK's intellectual property office's ruling means the name will be protected for Jersey farmers and small businesses.
Officials from the Economic Development Department were happy for Chanel to call its lavender scent “Jersey” but wanted to safeguard the title for locals.
Senator Alan Maclean said: “It was important that we challenged this. This was about ownership of the name Jersey.
“It is not about stopping Chanel using the name. It is fantastic to have a perfume named Jersey.”
Geographical trademarking has been a thorn in the side of many big businesses.
High-end fashion house Yves Saint Laurent was forced to destroy £10-million of publicity material for its 'Champagne' fragrance in 1993.
A court ruled that the name infringed upon the protected status of the famous wine that is produced in France's Champagne region.
According to the Intellectual Property Office, there are 13 applications in the UK asking for protected geographical status.
The makers of Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese, Scottish wild salmon, Lincolnshire sausages and traditional Bramley apple pie filling have requested geographical protection.
The Cornish pasty was awarded a protected status in 2011 which means that only Cornish pasties made in Cornwall and following the traditional recipe can legally be called “Cornish pasties”.
Last month, a rare breed of Cumbrian sheep bred in the Lake District was awarded protected status.
There are now three registered abattoirs in Cumbria. If animals were born, reared and slaughtered at one of them, they can be classified as Lakeland Herdwick.
Coco Chanel started incorporating jersey fabric, a knitted woollen material originating in Jersey, into her designs in the 1920s.
She transformed what was previously seen as a utilitarian, mundane fabric ideally suited for rugged sailors' sweaters into something celebrated for its elegance. - Daily Mail