A chip shop in Essex is being forced to change its name after film giant Warner Bros threatened legal action.



Scooby Snax in Brightlingsea has used the name, which was taken from the owner's pet dog, for eight years but was faced with a legal battle that would have run into tens of thousands of pounds for infringing the copyright of cartoon dog Scooby Doo.



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Owners John McNeill and his partner Andrea Smith have now agreed to rename the 50-seater chip shop instead.



“We were stunned,” McNeill told the Daily Mirror. “I just couldn’t believe that a multi-million-pound company could bully us like this.



“I have had to spend £20,000 on changing everything that has the name Scooby on it. We can prove we had been trading before Warner registered the trademark in Europe but we can’t afford to fight this.



“We’ve worked hard to build up this business and won Fish and Chip Shop of the Year three years in a row.”



The shop will now be renamed Johnny Mac's Plaice.































