Vera Lynn Goes To War

 

The drinks firm had attempted to register the trademark "Vera Lynn" and the 102 year old was seemingly displeased at the use of her name being associated with a product which she hadn't endorsed.  

 

Ms Lynne, famous for her war time contribution to morale, is well known for her songs, "We'll Meet Again" and "White Cliffs Of Dover". It has been reported that she is not a drinker of Gin.  

 

Her legal argument suggested she had been using her own name as an unregistered trademark for music recordings and charity work since 1939. As such having her name associated with a product served to suggest that she endorsed it. .

 

The star, who entertained troops in Egypt, India, and Burma during WW2, complained that Liverpool based Halewood International were attempting to exploit her "good name and reputation" to the betterment of their product sales.

 

In response the drinks firm argued that younger drinkers would be unaware of Dame Vera's reputation and would therefore simply know her name as a function of it's rhyming slang.

 

Unfortunately for Halewood the Intellectual Property Office found in Dame Vera's favour. In a written ruling they said, "The applicant has failed to provide any evidence of the level of understanding of cockney rhyming slang in the UK, or anything to illustrate the level of awareness of the term Vera Lynn with reference to gin."

 

"The evidence falls a long way short of showing that the relevant public for alcoholic beverages will, on encountering 'Vera Lynn', see it as a rhyming slang reference for gin, rather than bringing to mind the entertainer Vera Lynn, who has been in the entertainment business for 84 years."

 

The firm has been ordered to pay £1,800 towards Dame Vera's costs.

 

Dame Vera's daughter, Virginia Lewis-Jones, 73, who lives with her mother in East Sussex, commented, "My mother has told the company, 'Absolutely not', because she doesn't drink gin and certainly would not put her name to anything alcoholic. She is very upset."