British fragrance entrepreneur faces legal action over use of her name

British fragrance entrepreneur Jo Malone is facing legal action over the use of her name by cosmetics giant Estée Lauder Companies.

Ms Malone established her own eponymous Jo Malone perfume brand before selling the firm in 1999. In 2011, she launched a new fragrance label called Jo Loves.

High Court records show an intellectual property claim was filed on Wednesday by Estée Lauder Europe and Jo Malone Ltd against Ms Malone, Jo Loves and ITX Ltd, which trades as Zara.

The company is suing the parties for breach of contract, trademark infringement and “skimming” – the practice of making consumers think that goods or services are from another company.

The company said that the use of “Jo Malone” on the packaging of the “Joe Loves” fragrance sold by Zara formed the basis of the lawsuit.

An Estée Lauder Co. spokesman said the ban on using the Jo Malone name in certain commercial settings was a condition of Ms Malone’s 1999 sale of the brand.

The spokesperson added, “She was compensated as part of this agreement, and for many years, she followed its terms.

“The use of the name ‘Jo Malone’ by Ms Malone in connection with recent business ventures goes beyond that legal agreement and dilutes the unique brand equity of Jo Malone London.”

The company said it would “protect the brand we have invested in and built over decades.”

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It’s not clear exactly what time period or which products or packaging the case relates to.

A selection of the collab “Joe Loves” Zara perfumes is still available at Zara’s online shop. Part of the product description for the range reads, “Created by Jo Malone CBE, founder of Jo Loves.”

Joe Loves and Zara’s UK parent, Inditex, were not immediately available for comment.

Sky News was unable to reach Ms Malone.