AN American retailer has been forced to pay compensation after falsely claiming to sell chairs made with Harris Tweed.
Euromarket Designs, trading as Crate and Barrel, was sued in June by the Harris Tweed Authority, the body set up to protect the brand of the Scottish fabric more than 20 years ago.
However, the company has now agreed an undisclosed out-of-court settlement and explained that it had not breached the the marque deliberately or sold any products described as Harris Tweed in the UK, which would have been illegal,
The company sold two kinds of chairs, online and in store, called Harris Tweed Chair and Harris Herringbone Chair as part of its Harris Tweed Collection. However the chairs did not contain any actual Harris Tweed.
Lorna Macaulay, chief executive of the Harris Tweed Authority, said: "As we are based in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland it can sometimes seem a long way away from the commercial markets in which Harris Tweed is sold.
"But we never let this distance hinder our continued efforts to protect our various registered marks throughout the world.
"We use the best legal advisers in the country, the intellectual property litigation specialists at Burness Paull LLP, and we are committed to pursuing any individual or business who attempt to undermine our historic fabric, which is vital and valued not just by the people of the Outer Hebrides or Scotland but also by our customers across the globe."
The authority is determined to protect the marque of Harris Tweed, which is not, as some believe, merely a style of cloth.
Only cloth handwoven by the islanders of Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra in their homes, using pure virgin wool that has been dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland can be described as Harris Tweed.
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