It's M&S v YSL

ONE of the world's best-known fashion labels, Yves Saint Laurent, is in dispute with high street store Marks & Spencer over the use of three initials.

The French fashion company objected after Marks & Spencer tried to register the name MSL which it used for the trial of a lingerie collection on the continent.

Yves Saint Laurent is understood to be annoyed that the MSL name is too similar to its own YSL abbreviation.

The matter is now in the hands of the Register of Community Trademarks, which oversees trademarks throughout the European Union. It is expected to announce its decision by the end of the year or beginning of 2003.

The MSL brand stands for Marks & Spencer Lingerie and was used for two trial stores in France selling underwear.

When the company sold its European operation the stores closed, but the company was in the process of registering the MSL name in case it wanted to use it in future.

They applied to the Register of Community Trademarks in June 2000 and according to an M&S spokesman sought advice from legal experts in a number of European countries before using the name to begin with.

'We are not in the business of confusing customers and we sought advice on what we could do,' said the spokesman. 'We were told there were already a number of retailers who had SL in their name.'

He said it was only in November or December of last year, when the Register for Community Trademarks asked for consultation, that Yves Saint Laurent finally responded with a 'note of opposition.'

'They are the only people to object and we are going through the normal process,' said the M&S spokesman.

The UK arm of Yves Saint Laurent was unable to comment when contacted about the matter today.