Supermarket chain Iceland has applied to trademark its King Prawn Rings, claiming originality since its 1991 launch. Iceland demands rivals like Aldi, Tesco, Lidl, and Asda stop selling prawn rings and threatens legal action. Experts believe trademarking the descriptive term 'king prawn ring' will likely fail.
Supermarket chain Iceland, headquartered in Flintshire, has applied to trademark its King Prawn Rings, claiming they invented the iconic party dish first launched in 1991.
The company is demanding that other supermarkets, including Aldi, Tesco, Lidl, and Asda, stop selling similar prawn rings.
Iceland’s executive chairman, Richard Walker, emphasized their claimed ownership in an open letter on social media, warning competitors about legal actions.
While Iceland dubbed their product 'shellfishly brilliant,' legal experts believe the trademark application will likely be rejected as 'king prawn ring' is a descriptive term.
Iceland’s legal application was filed with the Intellectual Property Office on September 9.
Aldi and Tesco have yet to comment, while Asda declined to provide a statement.