Judge rejects trademark

Redditch-based Accessoreyes which supplies accessories for sunglasses and frames to opticians has had its bid to register the name 'Accessoreyes' as an official trademark blocked by a judge after opposition from high-street firm Monsoon.

A judge at London's Trade Mark Registry said there would be a likelihood of confusion, with Monsoon having used 'Accessorize' for years for goods including some lines similar to those dealt in by Accessoreyes, whose director Natasha Julie Phillips sought to register the name 'Accessoreyes' as an official trade mark.

Monsoon has used its Accessorize logo on items such as sunglasses, chains and spectacle cases since 1993 and between 1999 and 2004 had sales of £10.5m in the sector and claimed the Accessoreyes name was 'confusingly similar' to theirs.