![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/24\/590x\/secondary\/5031872.jpg?r=1698238343871\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Mercedes-Benz has set its sights on a micro-brewery in Sunderland after claims it has copied its logo.<\/p>\n
Wear Beer is being threatened with possible legal action by the German car giant if it fails to remove it from its current branding.<\/p>\n
Solicitors on behalf of Mercedes-Benz sent the brewery founder Julio Romero Johnson a \u201cnotice of threatened opposition\u201d.<\/p>\n
He now has a month to respond to the request to stop using the logo or risk being hit with whopping legal costs.<\/p>\n
Lawyers also expressed concern about the Mercedes-Benz brand being associated with alcohol.<\/p>\n
Julio, 33, who set up the tiny brewery this summer, said: \u201cI registered the logo on the 21st July. I then got a two-month period where it\u2019s public and anyone can oppose it if they wanted to.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the last day of that period when the letter arrived (from Mercedes-Benz). I was like \u2018flipping heck that\u2019s not what I was expecting\u2019.<\/p>\n
“I was thinking what do I do? I wanted to oppose it, but it was frightening.It\u2019s a lot of money to fight them and then if you lose you have to pay them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wrote a letter to them an they replied saying de-register the logo because they don\u2019t want to be associated with an alcoholic beverage. They said they owned the three-pointed star in a circle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey haven\u2019t sent a cease and desist letter yet so I\u2019m going to keep it for now. It\u2019s just the three pointed star and it says Wear Beer with a great big worm, so I don\u2019t think anyone will get confused between this and a Mercedes dealership.\u201d<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/24\/590x\/secondary\/5031886.jpg?r=1698238343935\")
<\/p>\n
The brewery\u2019s logo shows a three-point red star which was inspired by the emblem used by the International Brigades as they fought fascism in the 1936 Spanish Civil War.<\/p>\n
Julio, who moved to the UK from Valencia, Spain, added: \u201cThe actual design of the logo is from my uncle in Spain, he\u2019s a graphic designer and he decided to help me out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m from Spain and it\u2019s something that links Britain and Spain as a lot of people went here to fight in Spain.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s trying to link them, it\u2019s just that link between my home country and my adopted country.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people died in Spain, Sunderland sent quite a few people to fight too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julio, who operates out of a pub\u2019s cellar in Sunderland, says he is up for the David and Goliath fight with Mercedes.<\/p>\n