Passing off Nessie?

A dispute between two rival Nessie exhibition centres based in Drumnadrochit entered the doors of Inverness Sheriff Court on 29 June 2010 but was resolved by agreement rather than judgment the following day.

The pursuers were the Official Loch Ness Exhibition Centre, a five-star attraction established near the Drumnadrochit Hotel in 1980, while the defenders were the Original Loch Ness Monster Visitor Centre, a three-star centre established since 1987.  The two centres are about 100 yards apart in Drumnadrochit.  The pursuers claimed that the public were confused by similarities in name and other aspects of their branding.

Under the parties’ agreement the pursuers will henceforth trade as the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition, while the defenders will be the Nessieland Castle Monster Centre.

The publicity surrounding the dispute seemed nicely timed for the start of the school holidays, and also brought to the attention of the public various developments of the centres – including loch cruises – currently under consideration.  The intellectual property rights or, indeed, the views of Nessie herself seem not to have been canvassed.  But then who will speak for monsters?  No sign of her in this photograph from the Loch Ness bank opposite Drumnadrochit looking south-west, where Scots Law News went to look for comments.