German travel giant Tui AG is taking action to prevent a UK businesswoman using the name Mia Tui for her handbag business because there is a “likelihood of confusion”.
Charlotte Jamme, from Milton Keynes, set up Mia Tui, which means “my bags” in Vietnamese, four years ago.
The Mia Tui logo was trademarked in 2010 but a lawyer recommended she also protected the text.
Solicitors for Tui asked her to “voluntarily remove” the name in July, which she refused to do.
Jamme told the BBC that “no-one has ever confused Mia Tui with Tui and in the UK, nothing’s branded Tui”.
But Tui AG has officially opposed the registration of the Mia Tui trademark at the UK Intellectual Property Office after an “attempt to reach an amicable solution failed”.
Jamme has challenged their opposition and said when she set the company up she “hadn’t heard of Tui”.
“I am concerned about the future of my company. We cannot afford to rebrand, we cannot afford to fight it so I’m in a no-win situation,” she said.
Tui AG said it was “continuously monitoring its registered trademarks” and looked at trademark criteria not company size or other factors.
A spokesman said it also markets bags and backpacks under its trademark through its online shops.
“The only decisive factor is whether there is likelihood of confusion between the trademarks concerned,” a statement said.
“In the case under consideration, Tui sees this fact as being applicable.”