Hugo Boss is not the Boss

We recently wrote about Hugo Boss and its claim for trade mark infringement against an independent artist from Merseyside for his use of the slogan “Be Boss, Be Kind”. In a recent update, Hugo Boss has since dropped its claim against artist John Charles. The parties have reached an agreement over the use of the slogan which Hugo Boss took issue with following Charles’ attempt to register the slogan as a trade mark.

During the national UK lockdown that took place as a result of COVID-19, Charles decided to launch merchandise as a spin off to his online art class which has brought in over 27,000 people from all over the world. Due to the popularity of his slogan “Be Boss, Be Kind” Charles began to branch out into merchandising. Charles has always claimed the term “Boss” is well known in the area of Liverpool and is merely a term used to indicate that something is good.

The popularity of the slogan saw Charles apply to register “Be Boss, Be Kind” as a trade mark which was then brought to the attention of Hugo Boss. It would appear this concern has now been extinguished given the parties have resolved the matter. Any agreement that has been made is unknown however Charles has stated he is still able to continue with the free online art classes as well as producing merchandise.

If you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to contact the team at McDaniels Law on 0191 281 4000 or legal@mcdanielslaw.com