The Icelandic government is taking legal steps against Iceland Foods, a U.K. supermarket chain which owns the trademark for the word "Iceland".



The U.K. chain's trademark was registered in 2014 and applies across Europe, according to the European Union Intellectual Property Office, but now Iceland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs has applied for the trademark to be declared invalid.

The ministry claims the chain has aggressively pursued Icelandic companies which use the word Iceland, even in cases where their products or services do not compete. As a result, Icelandic companies are often unable to describe their products as Icelandic.



"This untenable situation has caused harm to Icelandic businesses, especially its small and growing companies. A company or product made in Iceland or by an Icelandic company should be able to represent itself using the name of the country," the ministry said in a press release.