Stratford chippie forced to drop Olympic from its name
Sign hidden to avoid battering for infringing trademark
What’s in a name? In this case, a possible fine and the threat of legal action.
Formerly known as the Olympic Fish Bar, a Stratford fish and chip shop faces a costly revamp to stop it falling foul of Olympic organisers.
In the mean time, the joint, tucked away in Pond Road, has been forced to use a sticker until a new sign arrives.
Stand-in manager Kemal Mustafa admitted the previous management included ‘Olympic’ in the name about three years ago.
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This puts it in breach of the Olympic Symbol (Protection) Act 1995 and the London Olympic Games Act 2006.
Mr Mustafa said: “A council officer came in here about a month ago with a document and said this is a trademark.
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“They said if we took this name before 1995 then we were in breach.
“He gave me advice to change it or to cover it up, so I put a sticker over it and let the managers know the situation.”
Mr Mustafa admitted it had left some of his regulars confused.
He added: “We are close to the Olympic Park as well so maybe we get more attention.
“I think we might change to Abbey Road Fish and Chips.”
A Locog spokesman said they needed to be consistent in enforcing their brand guidelines even on smaller businesses
to protect their sponsors.
He said: “The principle stands because we, as a private company, had to raise a large amount of money to run the Games. “These sponsors were given exclusivity in certain categories.
“The point is about stopping some businesses creating an association with the Games that does not exist.”
It comes two years after Cafe Olympic in West Ham Lane, Stratford was told to drop the ‘O’ from its name to avoid breaching restrictions.
