EasyJetwash business 'infringing trademark'

Jozsef Spekker owns a Newcastle-under-Lyme pressure washing business

A man with a business called EasyJetwash has been accused of infringing trademarks by the company which licenses brands like easyJet.

Jozsef Spekker, who owns the Newcastle-under-Lyme driveway-cleaning business, stated the "only similarity is the word Easy" and his life was "about to collapse".

The Intellectual Property Office website said a trademark was registered and an entry was added to the register in April 2022.

EasyGroup chairman Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou stated it would "win in court" unless Mr Spekker "rebrands sooner than the judgement, in which case we might not pursue the legal case to the end".

The Staffordshire business owner said he had not intended "to use the word easy to take advantage" of another business's reputation.

But last December he received "a demand letter to completely shut down", Mr Spekker told the BBC.

"My business is extremely different from anything that easyGroup offer for their customers.

"Not just the business but the appearance of the business as well, and the way EasyJetwash is displayed.

"When I registered as a trademark and got accepted I was 100% sure I have every right over my business which is my only income."

Mr Spekker cleans driveways and patios

The small business owner said he could not afford a solicitor for "a probably" long-lasting legal battle, and suffered "with mental health problems and physical disability".

He added: "The whole idea of calling my business EasyJetwash is that I made hard physical work very easy with the right equipment and it is really simple and easy to do."

Sir Stelios said easyGroup was confident Mr Spekker "using EasyJetwash.com is infringing our easyJet trademark".

He added: "There can be no legal doubt about it."

The founder and chairman said it was taking legal action to protect "the consumer from being confused" that Mr Spekker had something to do with easyJet "which he does not".