Chip shop forced to change name after legal threat

3:35pm Tuesday 30th October 2012 in News By Will Lodge

Owner John McNeill and partner Andrea Smith outside Scooby Snax after winning a regional fish and chip shop award in 2009 Owner John McNeill and partner Andrea Smith outside Scooby Snax after winning a regional fish and chip shop award in 2009

A CHIP shop is counting the cost of changing its name after a legal threat from a giant US company.

The award-winning Scooby Snax, in Church Road, Brightlingsea, is re-launching itself from the end of the year as Johnny Mac’s Plaice.

The name change was forced on owner John McNeill after Hanna Barbera, creators of 1960s cult comedy cartoon Scooby Doo, threatened legal action over the shop title.

Comments(18)

SOMETHING2SAY says...
4:07pm Tue 30 Oct 12

pathetic

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The Yellow Peril says...
4:09pm Tue 30 Oct 12

but inevitable. You can't just use other peoples' intellectual property and think you'll get away with it - no matter how small your business. How likely was anyone actually going to associate this chip shop with Hanna Barbera, but there you go?

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The Yellow Peril says...
4:11pm Tue 30 Oct 12

and actually Johnny Mac's Plaice is a better name. Weren't scooby snacks a treat for a dog (Scooby Doo!)

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irememberwhen says...
4:32pm Tue 30 Oct 12

They would have got away with it too, if it wasn't for those pesky kids!

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romantic says...
4:47pm Tue 30 Oct 12

I guess that scuppers my plans for the Ritz Savoy Harrods Bosch burger van then.

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The Yellow Peril says...
5:11pm Tue 30 Oct 12

Indeed it does - brilliant idea though

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jut1972 says...
7:14pm Tue 30 Oct 12

Funny how they didnt take the fun lovin criminals to court.

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Smouldering Ewok says...
1:04am Wed 31 Oct 12

Flipping Yanks will sue over anything.
Cod help us all!

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Joker50 says...
8:32am Wed 31 Oct 12

Some Business's seem to get away with it though, like Top Gear car sales in Colchester, how do they keep that name?

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carnuts says...
8:41am Wed 31 Oct 12

What's a scooby doo

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Another Point of View says...
11:27am Wed 31 Oct 12

Worst Fish & Chips I have ever had were from here. How they won an award Lord only knows.

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king harold says...
11:31am Wed 31 Oct 12

irememberwhen wrote:
They would have got away with it too, if it wasn't for those pesky kids!
excellent!!!

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DelA says...
2:36pm Wed 31 Oct 12

Didn't they register their name before the Americans, but haven't the money to take it to court?

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EdLoach says...
2:38pm Wed 31 Oct 12

I just tried Googling Johnny Mac's Plaice and it looks like it was the old name for the Village Chippy in St Osyth. That explains the "Our new name is the name of our first shop" sentence in today's paper, I suspect.

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EdLoach says...
2:39pm Wed 31 Oct 12

DelA: Yes - the full story is in today's Gazette.

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DelA says...
2:45pm Wed 31 Oct 12

My point was EdLoach, that there is very little of the true story above, as usual.

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Im_Like_HELLO says...
6:37pm Wed 31 Oct 12

I understand one of the Big City Boys contacted the proprietors of this fish and chip shop and asked if they would like their profile rasied because it had a Disney-esque name. I think the proprietors were a little foolish to accept because then Disney got wind of it and began legal proceedings. They would have done better to have kept quiet, then they could have kept the name.

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DelA says...
7:24pm Wed 31 Oct 12

They should keep it anyway as they had it first, money talks as usual and the small man loses out!

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