Skincare company fights logo war with big rival

Oasis Beauty clients sent emails to the company to say they had never mistaken either brand for the other.

A family-run skincare company claims it is being bullied by a larger rival over its logo, which the rival claims is a rip-off of its own.

Oasis Beauty, a four-employee company in the Canterbury town of Oxford, says it is preparing to battle in court to keep the logo after challenges by Kerikeri business Living Nature, which employs about 80 staff and exports its products around the world.

The dispute has continued since a letter to Oasis in 2007, in which Living Nature's lawyers warned Oasis to immediately stop using the logo and flax imagery that it said was "confusingly similar" to its own trademark.

"Your use of your logo on its own, and together with the flax imagery, is calculated to cause your products and business to be passed off as associated with that of our client," the letter stated.

"Our client has no hesitation in taking all necessary action and proceedings to protect its valuable trademark."

Oasis Beauty founder Stephanie Kimpton said her company was no threat to Living Nature, and the logos were clearly distinct.

"Our case is the latest in a string of big companies with corporate legal departments bullying small New Zealand enterprises," Mrs Kimpton said.

"There isn't any similarity between our logo and theirs, apart from the fact that they are both round."

When Oasis asked customers on its database if they had ever been confused between the Living Nature and Oasis Beauty products, "we received hundreds of emails saying that they had never mistaken either brand for the other. There will be no winners here, apart from the lawyers.

"These proceedings have been dragged out for the past two years with Living Nature requesting multiple extensions of time.

"However, at the beginning of this year, we decided enough is enough. We don't want this hanging over our heads any longer."

Living Nature did not respond to requests for comment.