A Dundee glasses shop has rebranded after a legal threat from punk legends the Sex Pistols.
The shop formerly known as Spex Pistols for more than a decade will now be called Land O’Spex after the iconic band kicked up a fuss about the name and logo.
The store had operated with the Spex Pistols name – under a trademark – on West Port since 2010.
The shop’s logo also resembled that of the 1970s band.
However, owner Richard Cook has now changed the name after receiving a cease and desist notice.
Dundee shop ‘has no choice’ over rebrand after Sex Pistols row
Richard said: “We don’t really have a choice.
“We don’t make enough money to take on the Sex Pistols. It’s hard to see how we can be a threat to them.
“They are a global brand with millions of followers from the punk scene all around the world.
“We’re a wee spectacle shop in the smallest street in Dundee, concentrating on serving our customers as best we can.”
The issue came to light last year when Richard missed the date to renew the trademark.
This was the first time since he obtained the rights in 2012.
Richard says a combination of strain on the business following Covid, a bereavement and suffering a heart attack caused the deadline to be missed.
The cease and desist was sent to Spex Pistols by lawyers acting on behalf of Glitterbest Limited, the company representing the Sex Pistols and original members Steve Jones, Paul Cook and John Lydon.
The Sex Pistols initially demanded that the shop stopped using both the name and logo.
However, representatives for the band say they later reached an agreement that would have allowed Richard to continue using the Spex Pistols name.
Richard says he felt that the agreement was still too restrictive and so has decided to rebrand.
‘I don’t have the resources to challenge them’
Richard said: “We’ve never been confused with the Sex Pistols, so we don’t see how we can be a threat.
“This is a world away from the international interests of the Sex Pistols.
“We wanted to find a way to continue as Spex Pistols but, in the end, it was simply easier and cheaper to change the name and brand, which is what they had wanted us to do in the first place.
“Over the years, we’ve built our business by offering a range of goods and services which I hoped were ‘out of the ordinary’ to provide a service beyond spectacles.
“I’ve based my professional reputation on old-fashioned customer service, bespoke lens design – which is my speciality – and repairing and selling spectacle frames in my small workshop.
“To be perfectly honest, I have focused so much on fair pricing that I have rarely ever made a profit after all the bills are paid.
“I just don’t have the resources to challenge their action in any way, so we have had to rebrand.
“I’m sure our customers will understand and remain loyal but the whole episode has been an enormous strain.”
A spokesperson for Glitterbest told The Courier it was “confused” by Richard’s stance.
They said: “The objection was to the shop’s logo, which uses a very similar stylisation to the Sex Pistols’ logo and is clearly intended to bring the band to mind.
“We have gone to great lengths over many months to be as accommodating as possible in finding a resolution that both protects the Sex Pistols brand, whilst minimising the impact on the shop.
“We had made it clear to the owners of the shop that they could continue to use the name Spex Pistols and agreed a new logo design, without any financial demands, and had been under the impression that an agreement had been reached.”
Land O’Spex a nod to former Stobswell bakery
The newly branded Land O’Spex is a nod to the former Wallace’s Bakery shop, Land O’Cakes, in Stobswell.
The remaining Spex Pistols stock will remain on sale until Friday.
Richard added: “It is the end of an era for Dundee but the start of a new chapter for our shop.
“We have very committed customers who support us because we do things differently.”
The Sex Pistols have recently reformed without Lydon, known as Johnny Rotten, in the line-up.
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