Music mogul formally withdraws application over name of girl group after protests from charity of same name

Simon Cowell has abandoned his attempt to trademark the name Rhythmix, after weeks of pressure from a Brighton-based children's charity of the same name over a The X Factor girl band.

A public standoff between the Rhythmix charity and the music mogul came to a head on Wednesday, with Cowell agreeing to withdraw a formal application to trademark the name.

Producers at The X Factor changed the Rhythmix girl group's name to Little Mix in October when the row first erupted. Mark Davyd, the chief executive of the charity, welcomed the move and said it was an end to The X Factor's attempt to "bully the charity into submission".

A spokeswoman for Syco, Cowell's entertainment business which co-produces The X Factor, said: "Syco are happy to withdraw the application for the trademark, as initially offered at the time of the name change to Little Mix."

The Rhythmix charity pointed out in an open letter to Cowell on Tuesday that his firm had not withdrawn its attempt to trademark the name, despite agreeing to rename The X Factor group. Late on Tuesday the mark "Rhythmix" was still listed among Syco's other trademarks, including The X Factor, Il Divo and Got Talent.

A spokeswoman for Syco said that the show's lawyers wrote to the charity on 26 October offering to give them the trademark, which the charity refused. "We remain happy to withdraw it and we do not intend to use this name at any time in the future," the spokeswoman said. "We conclude this matter is closed."

Davyd said earlier on Wednesday that The X Factor was "trying to try to bully the charity into submission". He said: "The reason that they're upset is because social media is removing their ability to control the story – people have backed the charity over this."

He told the Guardian that the charity turned down the initial offer because it "included strict conditions which meant that we could not talk about the conduct of The X Factor".

He still wants Cowell's company to pay the charity's legal costs of £8,000, which he says are equivalent to 120 hours of music making for the children looked after by the charity.