A Dundee eyewear shop has been forced to change its name after it received a “cease-and-desist” letter from the Sex Pistols
The former Spex Pistols shop was contacted by lawyers last year, who highlighted similarities between the boutique’s logo and that of the punk rock band.
Glitterbest, which represents the band, said that following discussions, it was agreed that the shop could continue using the name Spex Pistols but with a new logo design.
However, boutique owner Richard Cook decided to rebrand the shop rather than operate under the conditions proposed.
He has now renamed the shop Land O’Spex in a nod to a former bakery shop, Land O’Cakes, in Dundee.
Mr Cook said: “We don’t really have a choice. We just don’t make enough money to take on the Sex Pistols and try to win the right to use the name we had originally trademarked in 2012.
Burnt Bongo“It’s hard to see how we can be a threat to the Sex Pistols. They are a global brand with millions of followers from the punk scene all around the world. We are a wee spectacle shop in the smallest street in Dundee, concentrating on serving our modest but loyal customer base as best we can.”
The eyewear shop opened its doors in 2010.
The brand issue came to light in 2024 when Mr Cook missed the date to renew his trademark for Spex Pistols for the first time since he obtained the rights in 2012.
Mr Cook said: “We missed the renewal of the trademark through unfortunate circumstances, but have traded under this name peacefully for 14 years.
“Over the years, we’ve built our business by offering a range of goods and services which I hoped were ‘out of the ordinary’ to provide a service beyond spectacles.
“I’ve based my professional reputation on old-fashioned customer service, bespoke lens design, which is my speciality, repairing and selling spectacle frames in my small workshop in the heart of Scotland’s sunniest city.
“To be perfectly honest, I have focused so much on fair pricing that I have rarely ever made a profit after all the bills are paid! I just don’t have the resources to challenge their action in any way, so we have had to rebrand. I’m sure our customers will understand and remain loyal, but the whole episode has been an enormous strain.”
Despite pointing out the differences between his small shop and the global punk phenomenon, the Sex Pistols refused to relent and demanded that the shop be either rebranded or operated under tight branding restrictions.
Richard, who employs eight people, considered the restrictions to be unworkable and simply could not afford the thousands of pounds it would cost to fight the action.
He said: “They are a global brand with millions of followers from the punk scene all around the world.
“We are a wee spectacle shop in the smallest street in Dundee concentrating on serving our modest but loyal customer base as best we can.”
The business owner added that they “wanted to find a way to continue as Spex Pistols but, in the end, it was simply easier and cheaper to change the name and brand”.
A Glitterbest spokesperson said: “The objection was to the shop’s logo, which uses a very similar stylisation to the Sex Pistols’ logo and is clearly intended to bring the band to mind.
“We have gone to great lengths over many months to be as accommodating as possible in finding a resolution that both protects the Sex Pistols brand, whilst minimising the impact on the shop.
“We had made it clear to the owners of the shop that they could continue to use the name ‘Spex Pistols’ and agreed on a new logo design, without any financial demands, and had been under the impression that an agreement had been reached.”
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