An application to register “The Yorkshire Beekeeper” as a trade mark has stirred up a hornet’s nest.

Yorkshire Beekeepers’ Association (YBKA) is opposing moves by beekeeper Matthew Bravery to register the term, describing it as “an ordinary phrase that belongs to everyone who keeps bees in the county”.

The association says that if the application by Mr Bravery, from Settle, to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) succeeds “one business would hold exclusive rights over a phrase that belongs to every beekeeper in the county”.

Mr Bravery declined to comment on the ongoing case.

The YBKA says that if the application succeeds “one business would hold exclusive rights over a phrase that belongs to every beekeeper in the county”

placeholder image — The YBKA says that if the application succeeds “one business would hold exclusive rights over a phrase that belongs to every beekeeper in the county”

The issue first raised its head last December when Richard Terry, a former West Yorkshire police officer who has kept bees for 18 years, was contacted “out of the blue” by Mr Bravery, about the use of the term in connection with his business Outback Beez.

He said an initial polite letter was followed by “a list of demands” to remove the term from logos on his truck, off his jars and social media, within strict timeframes.

Mr Terry said he was concerned that other beekeepers may have felt threatened and removed any reference to being a Yorkshire beekeeper. He’d searched and found no other business trademarked in a similar way, other than Yorkshire Tea, which was trademarked 30 years ago. He said: “The Yorkshire Plumber tried to trademark his name but he got refused.”

YBKA was alerted by Mr Terry. The association says beekeepers need to be able to say where their bees and honey comes from, be it on a label, website or show entry.

Vice chair Richard Senior said: "Telling people you can’t describe yourself as a Yorkshire beekeeper has put peoples’ dander up.

"Yorkshire beekeepers are what thousands of us are, and it’s not what one person or business should own.

"Whenever anybody tells a Yorkshire person they can’t describe themselves as a person from Yorkshire it sparks outrage.

“If the applicant hadn’t tried to enforce his rights over the trademark before it had been completely and utterly finished he may have got away with it.

"The applicant has put the burden of proof on YBKA and wants to claim the costs if we are unsuccessful in proving the case.

The IPO examiner said in a preliminary assessment in January that granting a monopoly “is likely to inconvenience other traders” producing similar goods in Yorkshire.

A petition opposing the application has had over 1,000 signatures. Mr Senior said: “Many of our brothers and sisters in counties across the UK have supported the petition.

"They are aware that Lancashire could be next – a Lancashire beekeeper could try and trademark it.”

The association is currently gathering evidence to support their objection. They are also asking people to sign the petition at ybka.org.uk/petition.

Mr Senior said: “A number have already sent us statements of support, that they have in the past used the phrase to describe themselves. We are currently looking for historical evidence of people using that phrase to help support our case.”