‘Spex Pistols' opticians changes name after band's legal threat
An opticians called Spex Pistols has changed its name after legal threats from the Sex Pistols.
The punk band's lawyers served the small shop near Dundee's West Port with a 'cease and desist' letter after highlighting similarities between the two logos.
Following discussions, the store was told it could continue trading under the same name, but on the condition it changed its emblem.
Glitterbest, which represents the Sex Pistols, said the similarly styled logo 'clearly intended to bring the band to mind'.
The company added it was 'under the impression an agreement had been reached' before news of the rebrand.
But Richard Cook, the shop's owner, has instead opted to rename it after deciding the conditions in which they were being told to operate were too limiting.
The 54-year-old said the shop had 'never' been confused with the Sex Pistols.
'We don't really have a choice,' he said. 'They are a global brand with millions of followers from the punk scene all around the world.
'We are a wee spectacle shop in the smallest street in Dundee concentrating on serving our modest but loyal customer base as best we can.'
Mr Cook had no previous issues after opening his doors under the name in 2011. However, that changed when he missed a trademark renewal with the Intellectual Property Office in 2024 after he suffered a heart attack.
'We missed the renewal of the trademark through unfortunate circumstances but have traded under this name peacefully for 14 years,' he said.
'I wanted to find a way to continue as Spex Pistols but, in the end, it was simply easier and cheaper to change the name and brand.'
He added: 'It is the end of an era for Dundee. I never expected it to get to this.'
The outlet will now be called Land O'Spex, in a nod to an 'iconic' old bakery shop in the area.
He said he made the tough decision to fully rebrand because the band's lawyers were putting so many constraints in place on how he could operate in the future.
'To be honest, with all the restrictions put in place, it made it almost impossible for us to carry on with it, without having full creative control,' he said.
'We felt there was no way we could continue and that a new name would suit us better.'
A Glitterbest spokesman said: 'The objection was to the shop's logo, which uses a very similar stylisation to the Sex Pistols's logo and is clearly intended to bring the band to mind.
'We have gone to great lengths over many months to be as accommodating as possible in finding a resolution that both protects the Sex Pistols brand, whilst minimising the impact on the shop.
'We had made it clear to the owners of the shop that they could continue to use the name 'Spex Pistols' and agreed a new logo design, without any financial demands, and had been under the impression that an agreement had been reached.'
The band and its members are no stranger to legal disputes.
In 2021, John Lydon, the band's frontman, lost a High Court battle to stop the Sex Pistols's music from being used in a television show directed by Danny Boyle.
Former drummer Paul Cook and guitarist Steve Jones had sued Lydon, also known as Johnny Rotten, after he attempted to veto the use of the group's songs in the show.
The veteran rock star is also involved in an ongoing legal dispute with photographer Dennis Morris over who owns the copyright for the logo of his post-punk band Public Image Ltd, also known as PiL.
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