LONDON — Crombie, the British heritage men’s label, has acquired full ownership and associated rights of the Tommy Nutter and Nutters brands, following an ongoing dispute with designer David Mason over the labels.
“J&J Crombie Ltd. and David Mason announce that they have amicably resolved all issues between them regarding ownership of the brands Tommy Nutter and Nutters,” Crombie said. The agreement was effective as of Saturday.
Mason had been operating the Nutters of Savile Row label, a brand that the late tailor Tommy Nutter had run with fellow tailor Edward Sexton from 1969 through 1976. Crombie, meanwhile, had been producing collections under the Tommy Nutter name, after the label had supported the tailor’s new business on Savile Row in the early Eighties. Crombie continued to produce Tommy Nutter collections after Nutter’s death in 1992, but last year Mason won the rights to the U.K. use of Tommy Nutter’s name in London’s High Court, as a result of Crombie’s alleged “non-use” of the label. However, a concurrent case heard by the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market favored Crombie concerning the labels’ European Community trademarks, which also cover the U.K. Crombie owns the Tommy Nutter trademarks unopposed in the U.S.
Crombie was set to appeal last year’s British High Court decision before the two parties settled out of court last week. Crombie declined to comment on the terms of the settlement.