Monday 2 February 2009

It's my name! Or is it . . . . ?

The AMANDA WAKELEY brand has been sold back to its eponymous designer for an undisclosed sum. Or, to be more precise, a vehicle called AW Atelier set up by the designer Amanda Wakeley, has bought the Amanda Wakeley bridalwear business and all intellectual property relating to the Amanda Wakeley business, which includes the brand name and the autumn 09 collection.

Will this be a happy ending for the designer now that she is re-united with her name and brand? Let's hope so. But the fact is that the courts have been asked more than once to deal with problems arising from the separation of a brand name from its designer. The ELIZABETH EMANUEL dispute even made it all the way to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

Let's hope that Amanda Wakeley will have fewer problems - provided she has a controlling interest in AW Atelier she will be off to a good start and certainly much better placed than when sher had no (or only very little) share in the ownership of the brand.

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