Ben McDonald was initially told to change the name of his business by the fashion brand
Ben McDonald runs Boss Pets (Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
A dad who fought to keep name of his business after receiving an email from Hugo Boss said he is “not bitter” and “still wears my Hugo Boss sunglasses, T-shirts, and underwear.” Ben McDonald, a 44 year-old from Bootle, is the owner of Boss Pets.
Ben received a letter from the international fashion brand stating his business’s name breached their trademark. He told the ECHO last month that he feared the future of his business. The ex-engineer said he started the company in August last year after looking for a change in his line of work. He came up with the name ‘Boss Pets’ after wanting something he believes customers “couldn’t forget”.
However, Hugo Boss claimed the name would infringe on its trademark and requested he change his business name within 10 days.
A statement, shared with the ECHO on behalf of Hugo Boss, acknowledged the letter sent to Ben, which was also seen by the ECHO. It said: “The business affected here has already been operating under the name Boss Pets since early 2024 to our knowledge, but only filed the registration for the trademark in June 2025.”
Following the initial letter and response by his legal representative, Barrister Francis McEntegart of MC Legal, Hugo Boss issued a further email to Francis requesting Boss Pets not cover “fashion related pet accessories which overlap with our own pet collection”.
Now, dad-of-three Ben says an agreement on those terms has been reached and he has been allowed to continue using the name Boss Pets as long as he does not sell pet clothing or accessories with the name attached.
Ben with Monty, his five year old Sausage dog(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Hugo Boss was approached by SWNS for comment in response the agreement. In a previous statement issued to the ECHO, the company said: “The business affected here has already been operating under the name Boss Pets since early 2024 to our knowledge, but only filed the registration for the trademark in June 2025.
“When we became aware of the registration, we approached the business owner as the intended registration represents an overlap with our trademarks.”
Ben said he “sunk thousands” into building his business’ website before going live with the business on June 7, 2025.
Ben said: “I was looking for something catchy, something people couldn’t forget. It also has a Scouse humour kick and a play on words to it which I liked, so it stuck.”
Throughout the name choosing process he had been working alongside his legal representative Francis, who he claims had told him ‘Boss Pets’ was legally sound in his business sector when sending off a trademark application on June 2.
Ben McDonald from Boss Pets, with Monty, his 5 year old Sausage dog(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Ben’s trademark application was in ‘Class 35, Retail Services’ in relation to pet products. Ben was told nine days later on June 11 his trademark application was approved – he then officially published his website on June 12.
But to his shock two days earlier, on June 10, he received an email including an appeal letter from Hugo Boss ordering him to stop using the word ‘Boss’ in his brand name and giving 10 days to remove it and rebrand.
Ben said: “My whole world just collapsed – I was in complete shock. I had flyers, business cards, products all arriving through the post and I was thinking am I going to have to put it all in the bin.
“I had put thousands of pounds deep into my pockets making sure everything was to work out – it was a horrendous feeling.
“I didn’t have the money to go back through and rebrand everything, it would bankrupt me. I was thinking, I’m just a small business owner, I can’t take Hugo Boss on.”
Boss Pets flyer(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
After “back and forth emails” with the designer brand’s legal team and Francis, an agreement was reached a few weeks later.
He said: “It was a horrendous feeling receiving the email from Hugo Boss. I began questioning everything as I thought I couldn’t take on Hugo Boss.
“But thanks to Francis I am free to use the name which is a huge win for small businesses as I felt so small at the time. I’m not bitter or anything, I still wear my Hugo Boss sunglasses, T-shirts, and underwear.”
In the statement issued to the ECHO last month, Hugo Boss continued: “We would also like to underline that trademark law requires brands to monitor their marks and take action.
“HUGO BOSS only approaches third parties where an overlap with our existing trademark rights occurs, and as a matter of principle, we always seek dialogue in favour of an amicable solution for both sides.”
A spokesperson for the brand added: “As said, the trademark law requires brands to monitor their marks and take action.
“HUGO BOSS only approaches third parties where an overlap with our existing trademark rights occurs, and as a matter of principle we always seek for a dialogue in favour of an amicable solution for both sides. This is also the case here.
“In addition to our BOSS business of high-quality women’s and men’s apparel, shoes, and accessories, the brand also operates in other areas – such as BOSS home, BOSS equestrian, and BOSS dog accessories – for which we also hold trademark rights.
“When we became aware of the registration of Boss Pets, we have approached the business owner as the intended registration represents an overlap with our trademarks.”