Sign up to FREE email alerts from NorthWalesLive - Court News Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A lawsuit could be filed demanding that Deeside supermarket chain Iceland relinquishes its use of the brand name Iceland within the European Union.

The press in Iceland are reporting that Promote Iceland, the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and SA – Business Iceland are considering making the request.

Icelandic website Visir says that the Government bodies are cooperating with the patent attorneys of Árnason faktor to decide whether to launch the action.

The next steps will be decided at a meeting on September 28.

It reports that they want to take the action because the supermarket chain protests when Promote Iceland and Icelandic producers attempt to register the Iceland trademark in product categories that clash with the discount chain's own goods.

They add that while the supermarket tries to exclude them from using the word Iceland, the discount chain greatly benefits from positive media coverage of Iceland (the country!).

It added that this was highlighted during Iceland's successful European Championship campaign.

Iceland supermarket declined to comment on the potential legal bid.

Visir reports that Bergþóra Halldórsdóttir, a lawyer for SA – Business, a group that supports businesses in Iceland, said: "The complaint is not about the British supermarket chain having named its stores after our country, but what we find unfortunate is that Iceland Foods has not only registered its logo, but the word Iceland itself.”

The Icelandic Government confirmed they were considering the action but that no decision had yet been made.