Iceland vs Iceland: Shropshire-founded supermarket seeks thaw in battle over name
We can expect a near-endless stream of high-level diplomatic discussions as Britain attempts to separate itself from the EU over the next few years.
But before any of that begins, Shropshire-founded supermarket Iceland is setting out for its own peace talks as it attempts to thaw relations with the Icelandic Government over a legal action relating to the use of its name.
Iceland Foods, which was founded in Oswestry in 1970, is urgently seeking a meeting with Iceland's foreign ministry to lay out "constructive proposals" in a bid to allow the company and its namesake nation to return to the peaceful co-existence they have shared for 46 years.
The Nordic nation confirmed last week that it has mounted a legal challenge against the supermarket at the European Union Intellectual Property Office with the goal of "ensuring the right of Icelandic companies to use the word 'Iceland' in relation to their goods and services".
Iceland claims that the supermarket has "aggressively pursued" and won multiple cases against Icelandic companies which use the word Iceland as part of their trademark, "even in cases when the products and services do not compete".
The supermarket's chief Malcolm Walker, who launched the company in Shropshire, said: "A high-level delegation is preparing to fly to Reykjavik this week to begin negotiations, and we very much hope for a positive response and an early resolution of this issue."
While the company's legal director will be making the trip, a spokesman for Iceland said Mr Walker will not be part of the delegation. The chief executive added: "
I am sure there is ample scope for an agreement that will allow both parties to live and work amicably alongside each other."
The supermarket holds a Europe-wide trademark registration for the word, and the nation is seeking to invalidate the registration on the basis that it is "exceptionally broad and ambiguous in definition".
In the circular released last week, the government said: "The government of Iceland is concerned that our country's businesses are unable to promote themselves across Europe in association with their place of origin."
