Residents of a village in south-west England have reacted furiously after a local heritage organization trademarked its name.
The Dartington Hall Trust has registered the name Dartington as a trademark, and is now using the name on all of its branding, reports the BBC.
Defending the decision, the trust said the mark had been sought to “protect” its own name, however villagers have described the move as “pure arrogance”.
Terry Parsons, a member of Dartington Parish Council, told BBC Radio Devon, “I am upset to think they think they can do this sort of thing.”
“They’re taking over the village name, I’m absolutely disgusted for them to think they can get away with naming all their different activities just in the name of Dartington.”
Vaughan Lindsay, the trust’s chief executive, said the organization was “seeking to prevent the potential abuse of the name Dartington in relation to Dartington Hall Trust’s own activities”.
“Of course we’re worried about how the community feel and we’re very sensitive to how this may be perceived but we need to protect the best interests of the trust as well,” he added.