Latest news with #LordJustice
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
EasyJet tycoon loses copyright battle against charity-fundraising site
The billionaire founder of easyJet has been defeated in a long-running copyright legal battle against a charity-fundraising site. Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the tycoon behind easyGroup, last year filed a lawsuit against Easyfundraising, accusing the Staffordshire-based company of copyright infringement. A High Court judge ruled in favour of the fundraising platform, but Sir Stelios mounted an appeal, arguing there were a 'number of contradictions' in the judgment. But in a ruling last week, the UK Appeals Court upheld the decision and sided with Easyfundraising. In their judgment, Lord Justice Coulson, Lord Justice Arnold and Lord Justice Zacaroli said: 'The presence of the word 'easy' itself is not sufficient to lead an average consumer to think that Easyfundraising or easysearch must be connected with easyLife.' They ruled it was unlikely that the similarity in names would confuse consumers, adding: 'Unsurprisingly, there was no evidence of any confusion by advertisers, despite easyfundraising having been in operation since 2005.' Easy lawsuits The decision marks an embarrassing setback for Sir Stelios, who has gained notoriety for his aggressive tactics in defending trademarks. In 2023, the British pop group Easy Life were forced to change their name after easyGroup, which owns the brand rights to online retailer Easylife, filed a copyright infringement claim. EasyGroup described the band as a 'brand thief', despite them forming seven years before the conglomerate bought the retailer's brand name. Easy Life said they were unable to defend the lawsuit because of the financial burden and have now changed their name to Hard Life. Sir Stelios founded easyJet in 1995 and grew it into one of Europe's largest low-cost airlines. He stepped down from the board in 2010 following a clash over the future direction of the company, but his family still retains a 15pc stake. The Greek-Cypriot billionaire also licenses out the 'easy' brand name through easyGroup to a host of other ventures including easyHotel, easyCar and easyBus. Sir Stelios, who created the 'easy' family of brands in 1994 and owns all the intellectual property rights through easyGroup, has pursued a number of other companies on copyright grounds. Easyfundraising, which was founded in 2005, is a cashback website that allows customers to donate part of what they spend online shopping to a charity of their choice. The company says it has raised more than £60m for charities and good causes across the UK. Following last year's High Court ruling, Sir Stelios accused Easyfundraising, which is backed by private equity firm Palatine, of falsely marketing itself as a charity. James Moir, chief executive of Easyfundraising, has said the platform had never claimed to be a charity, describing it instead as a 'technology-for-good company'. He added: 'Our decision to not back down against easyGroup's ridiculous claims and bully-boy tactics was vindicated last year and was vindicated again today. 'This case has already taken up many months of management and business time that could have been far better spent on our core business of helping charities and good causes raise as much money as possible. 'We have never claimed to be part of easyGroup, and we hope that this judgement gives heart to others being sued by easyGroup that they can see them in court – and win.' EasyGroup said it was considering whether the case could be referred to the Supreme Court and was planning separate legal action in Ireland over the use of the Easyfundraising name in the EU. A spokesman said the company was also pursuing a complaint with the UK Charity Commission, adding: 'They are casino capitalists making a killing with their investment.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. 登入存取你的投資組合
Daily Express
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Express
Borneo Star to debut in peninsula
Published on: Saturday, June 28, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jun 28, 2025 Text Size: Lord Justice will face stiff competition in tomorrow's Race 4. Kota Kinabalu: Royal Sabah Turf Club's (RSTC) talented two-year old Borneo Star will make his debut (Race 6) this Sunday in the peninsula at Selangor Turf Club. Prepared by veteran trainer Richard Lines, Borneo Star is expected to use this run to familiarise race conditions for future assaults. Infinity Spirit is the favourite with Pahlawan, Cheeky White Face and El Chubasco to challenge. Race 7 (Class A) over 1,200m is feature race with hard to beat Pacific Vampire against Honesty and Filial Dragon. Always switch on type, 'veteran' 10-year old Cheval Blanc should be regarded while Witness Impact has ability to upset. Top draw for local races (Sunday) is Race 4 (Class 1/2) over 1,400m featuring Lord Justice against a plethora of combatants bent on overthrowing the lord. Leading the contingent are Kinabalu Warrior, David's Sling and Summer Glitter. Stiff competition is also expected from Sukoli Beauty (ex Coronation II) and Easylights. Race 3 (Class 4) over 1,100m sandtrack will be keenly fought. A princely pot of RM17,000 carry forward pool adds to the fanfare. Biduan and North Star are in excellent form homing in for a win with Golden Express and Dedek Beauty lurking not far behind. Race 5 (Class 3) over 1,400m will be fierce with dependable Classic Head taking on Messi. Lady Lara and Silent Arrow are proud and honest-types, and they will have a major say in the proceedings. Avid race-goers can visit RSTC's Off-Course centres in Tanjung Aru and Keningau or Tambalang Racecourse for 'live' racing actions locally and from Hong Kong, Australia, Selangor and Perak, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. For more details, visit RSTC's website or Facebook. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
