A comedian has changed his name by deed poll to Hugo Boss in an act of support for a Welsh brewery.
Boss Brewing, based in Swansea, was forced to shell out thousands of pounds defending itself after the fashion titan issued a cease and desist letter to try and stop the company using the trade name.
Comedian Joe Lycett announced on Sunday he had officially changed his own name to Hugo Boss as an act of solidarity with small businesses who have been approached by the company.
The stunt appears to have been planned as part of an episode of the latest series of Lycett's Channel Four comedy show Got Your Back, which sees him attempt to win justice for consumers against large companies.
Writing on Twitter, Lycett said: "So @HUGOBOSS (who turnover approx $2.7 billion a year) have sent cease & desist letters to a number of small businesses & charities who use the word 'BOSS' or similar, including a small brewery in Swansea costing them thousands in legal fees and rebranding.
"It's clear that @HUGOBOSS HATES people using their name. Unfortunately for them this week I legally changed my name by deed poll and I am now officially known as Hugo Boss. All future statements from me are not from Joe Lycett but from Hugo Boss. Enjoy."
In a later tweet he said he would also be "launching a brand new product as Hugo Boss" and more would be revealed on the new series of Got Your Back.
In August last year, Boss Brewing owners Sarah John and Roy Allkin said they were involved in a four-month legal battle after applying to trademark the name of their business.
Although the process is only meant to cost £300, they claimed they ended up paying nearly £10,000 in solicitors' fees while the matter was ongoing.
After months of legal negotiations, it was eventually resolved that the brewery would have to change the names of two award-winning beers, and could not sell clothing anymore.
Boss Brewing retweeted the message sent by Hugo Boss (formerly Joe Lycett) on Sunday evening.
The company said: "So it’s official!! @joelycett (we mean Hugo) has only gone and done it! Just the most brilliant show of support from Joe. Can’t wait for you all to see the episode we filmed for his Channel 4 ‘Got Your Back’ show on the whole Hugo Boss saga. #LikeABoss"
