When does everyday language become trademark infringement? That’s the question brewing in a new intellectual property clash between a two-store London cafe and a £1.5 billion hospitality behemoth.
The independent Coffee Studio recently applied to register a simple, three-word slogan: “Eat Drink Work.” They quickly found themselves in the legal crosshairs of Mitchells & Butlers—the corporate giant behind Toby Carvery and All Bar One. The conglomerate claims the phrase infringes on their trademarked slogan, “Eat Drink Meet.”
But the indie cafe isn’t facing this Goliath unarmed. They’ve retained the boutique legal practice Trade Mark Wizards, a firm that uniquely counts The Apprentice host Lord Alan Sugar as one of its directors.
Lord Sugar didn’t mince words about the legal mismatch, stating: “Trademark law exists to protect genuine brands and innovation. It should not create an environment where independent businesses feel pressured into abandoning ideas.”
For the legal team handling the defense, the dispute highlights a growing trend of corporate overreach. Trade Mark Wizards’ Managing Director, Oliver Oguz, argues his client’s slogan simply uses ordinary English words to describe modern cafe working culture. “We believe this case raises important questions about where legitimate brand protection ends and where overly aggressive enforcement begins,” Oguz noted.
Unfortunately for the coffee shop, justice moves slowly. Thanks to a severe backlog at the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO), this caffeine-fueled tribunal showdown could drag on for up to two years, stalling the small business’s expansion and merchandise plans in the interim.
Whether the corporate giant will successfully roast the competition or get “fired” by Lord Sugar’s trademark team remains to be seen. Either way, it is shaping up to be a quintessential test of trademark law’s boundaries.
