London fashion brand given £58,000 bill for using Tube carriage for photoshoot

A row has broken out after TfL handed a London fashion brand a crippling bill because it held a photo shoot in disused tube carriages. Peachy Den has been slapped with a demand for tens of thousands of pounds by TfL because it owns the intellectual property rights on underground maps and other London transport symbols.

The photo shoot took place at the Walthamstow Pump House, a transport museum, which hires out two carriages to businesses for events. However, Peachy Den failed to spot requirements in the small print for anyone hiring the space that they may have to pay TfL for the privilege.

The fashion brand, which was founded in 2019, has been asked to fork out around £58,000 – a figure that the owner says the business cannot afford. Posting on social media under the heading Lessons Learned the Hard Way Isabella Weatherby, whose brand aims to export ‘cult Brit girl style to the world’ wrote: ‘We had to remove all our peachy winter campaign from our socials and website.

‘We shot our campaign at Walthamstow Pump House which had two old tube carriages to rent. It was one of our favourite campaigns to date. ‘Then last month we got contacted by TfL asking us to remove everything with their IP (intellectual property) or pay their fees.

‘TfL commercial IP fees start at tube map (£25k), the Roundel (round underground symbol) (£25k)and the seat design (£8k). ‘As a small brand, we obviously couldn’t afford the fees and had to take the content down.’. In a second post under the title ‘learnings’ she wrote: ‘Always read the small print.

To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro's London news hub. The Pumphouse contract said they weren’t responsible for TfL IP. ‘Avoid shooting on current or old tubes as there is a high risk you will have to remove your content. Lessons learnt, did you know this?’.

Dozens of people posted in response to the company’s predicament, some branding TfL ‘greedy’ while others said the fashion brand should have read the contract more closely. Jenny wrote: ‘Why is TfL do petty? This is insane.’. OrangeTonez wrote: ‘TfL is greedy in every aspect of the word greedy.’.

Another wrote: ‘It’s ridiculous, it’s literally public transport.’. But Nyah wrote: ‘TfL IP is notorious in production circles.’. Another posted: ‘I see this way too often as an IP lawyer.’. Some supportive businesses offered to photoshop the campaign material to remove the TfL symbols.

TfL has been embroiled in disputes with other businesses over its rights to the use of Tube symbols. In 2016 TfL threatened to sue an independent electrical shop in Blackpool ordering it to change its name from the Tube Station and take down the tube sign outside.

The shop, 250 miles from the nearest tube station, paid £500 to rebrand after the legal threat and its owner accused TfL of being heavy-handed. TfL said in response to the shop’s criticism of its action: ‘The tube rounder is a trademark and as a valuable asset it’s important we protect it.’.

A TfL spokesperson said: ‘We’re pleased that our iconic brand and services provide inspiration for creatives to use as a backdrop, however when they’re being used for editorial, digital or commercial use, we understandably need to ensure it is done properly and agree commercial terms with businesses.

‘This helps to protect our intellectual property and provides valuable revenue that is reinvested in the transport network for the benefit of everyone. ‘We have previously worked with the Pumphouse to ensure that their terms and conditions clearly specify that anyone using the Tube carriage housed there for commercial or editorial content, must seek TFL’s permission for using our intellectual property before doing so.’.

Peachy Den said it would not be commenting any further. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Leonardo DiCaprio among celebrities flocking to London for ‘life-changing’ secret experience.

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