A US fast food giant has ceased its pursuit of an independent Preston business on copyright grounds, Blog Preston understands.
Smashburger, a US chain with over 227 outlets now has eight in the UK and claims to be ‘coming to a city near you soon’, had been threatening legal action against the owner of Smashed in Preston since 2021.
The ordeal had been a distressing one for owner Michael Evans who has since closed Smashed – then of Miller Arcade – and opened up All Hopes No Promises on St Wilfrid Street serving a similar menu.
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He told Blog Preston earlier this year legal representation to fight Smashburger’s claim was prohibitively expensive, he felt his business was not similar to Smashburger and he felt bullied and harassed.
Our investigation found a number of independent business across the UK were targeted in a similar fashion.
Blog Preston sought advice from intellectual property experts at Harrison Drury and was told legal battles such as this can be ‘very difficult’ for unrepresented parties to navigate because it’s so easy to fall foul of court processes.
The closure of Smashed and what was essentially a rebrand of the business did not stop Smashburger’s pursuit – but Blog Preston understand the matter has now been settled confidentially.
Smashburger said at the time they could not comment on the situation citing ongoing legal proceedings. They did not respond to a further request for a statement this week when approached by Blog Preston.
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