Outlander star Sam Heughan is embroiled in a legal battle with a German distillery over the name of his whisky brand.
The actor launched his own Scotch last year called The Sassenach – the nickname his character Jamie Fraser uses for his on-screen love interest Claire in the time-travel drama.
His firm, The Great Glen Company, applied to register the brand name as a trademark to sell the whisky across Europe.
However, the move was opposed by the Sasse distillery in Schoppingen, who said it was too similar to their own Sasse trademarks which they use to sell whiskies and brandies.
The German firm argued a whisky called The Sassenach would confuse customers who may think it is linked to them.
The European Union Intellectual Property Office, which rules on trademark disputes, issued a ruling which upheld the opposition and said The Sassenach cannot be used as a trademark for whiskies.
However, Heughan’s company could have the decision overturned at an appeal which is due to be heard later this year.
