London mum wins legal fight with retailer Mango to keep hold of company name

A London mum won a long and costly legal battle against international retailer Mango who tried to stop her using the name Mangotree Kids for her successful company.

Catherine Boakye was shocked her attempt to trademark the business was blocked by the Spanish retailer as it contested the trademark.

The clothing company said it would confuse consumers because the name was too similar to brands Mango and Mango Kids.

Catherine said she faced a 'David and Goliath' battle to hang onto her business which teaches young black children to love and respect different cultures.

"It's been extremely difficult, financially it has cost a lot of money but emotionally as well it's very intimidating to come up against a company like Mango," said Catherine.

"They have all the finances and resources and I'm just one person," she added.

Catherine took redundancy from British Airways during the Covid pandemic to focus entirely on her flourishing business.

It wasn't long before she saw a big rise in the demand, at which point she decided it was time to trademark Mangotree Kids.

And that's when her legal problems began.

Catherine added: "I was incredibly intimidated and stressed by what I was facing and the financial burden was immense having to find thousands of pounds in legal fees.

"I couldn't sleep worrying about how I was going to get through this but at the same time I had to tell myself that this was wrong.

"After all Mangotree Kids had been established before Mango Kids so I had no choice but to fight back their actions although legal were not in my opinion justified."

The case took nearly two years to be resolved at which point Catherine's lawyer delivered the welcome news that she has won.

"I cannot tell you the overwhelming sense of relief and sweet satisfaction that I felt," Catherine said.

"Not only for myself but also for other small business that are going through similar cases with big companies.

"I hope my story will inspire them to continue fighting their case.

"Although I won my case in its entirety I am still facing thousands of pounds worth of legal fees.

"But if you ask me was it worth it I would still say yes," she added.