What's in a name? For British comedian Joe Lycett, it's a form of protest.
Lycett has officially changed his name to "Hugo Boss" as a way of objecting to the company's trademark strategy. He accused the German fashion label of targeting small businesses that use similar names such as "Boss."
"So @HUGOBOSS (who turnover approx $2.7 billion a year) have sent cease & desist letters to a number of small businesses & charities who use the word 'BOSS' or similar, including a small brewery in Swansea costing them thousands in legal fees and rebranding," he wrote on Twitter Sunday.
"It's clear that @HUGOBOSS HATES people using their name. Unfortunately for them this week I legally changed my name by deed poll and I am now officially known as Hugo Boss. All future statements from me are not from Joe Lycett but from Hugo Boss," Lycett added.
Welsh beer company Boss Brewing applied to trademark its name in 2019 but ended up in a £10,000 legal battle with Hugo Boss, which tried to stop it using the moniker. The brewer agreed to change the names of two of its beers, Boss Black and Boss Boss, to Boss Brewing Black and Boss Bossy respectively, according to a report on website WalesOnline.
A spokesperson for Hugo Boss told CNBC in an emailed statement: "We welcome the comedian formerly known as Joe Lycett as a member of the Hugo Boss family."
As the company's Hugo Boss trademark is classified as "well-known," (rather than "regular") it gets protection for goods outside its fashion product category, the spokesperson added.
"Following the application by Boss Brewing to register a trademark similar to our 'well-known' trademark, we approached them to prevent potential misunderstanding regarding the brands Boss and Boss Black, which were being used to market beer and items of clothing," the spokesperson said.
"We would like to clarify that we do not oppose the free use of language in any way and we accept the generic term 'boss' and its various and frequent uses in different languages."
Lycett is promoting the second season of his consumer-rights TV show, "Joe Lycett's Got Your Back." The first season saw him set up a "restaurant" in a skip in an effort to encourage delivery app Uber Eats to review its food safety processes.
Brits can change their names by making what is known as a deed poll — a statement signed by witnesses that the person can use as proof of their new name. They can put their new name on public record by applying to the Royal Courts of Justice and paying £36 ($45.93).
Hugo Boss posted better than expected fourth-quarter sales in January, reporting a turnover of 825 million euros ($915.51 million), but said the U.S. and Hong Kong were challenging markets.