Cipriani London calls in administrators after losing trademark battle
Cipriani London, the Mayfair restaurant and celebrity haunt, has called in the administrators after losing a costly trademark battle with the owners of the Hotel Cipriani in Venice.
Cipriani International has appointed Ian Franses Associates "to protect its assets" after it was forced to pay £1.57m following last week's decision by the London Court of Appeal upholding a 2008 ruling by the High Court forcing the restaurant to change its name.
The court also ordered the Cipriani family to pay the Orient-Express Group, which owns the Venetian landmark hotel, £6.07m on account of profits made from trading under the Cipriani name, and ordered for all of its assets to be frozen.
Arrigo and Giuseppe Cipriani, the son and grandson of the founder of the Hotel Cipriani, said that the restaurant was free of any debts outside the liabilities from the Orient-Express litigation and would continue to trade as normal.
"Service will continue as usual at our renowned London restaurant, which will operate under a new name by 24 April. Operations around the world remain unaffected," the family said.
The Ciprianis added that the administration would continue "while the company pursues any appeal to the Supreme Court in the UK" over the trademark dispute.
Arrigo's father opened Hotel Cipriani in 1958 on the island of Giudecca, but the family sold its stake more than 40 years ago. The property has been in the hands of the Orient-Express Group since 1976, which owns a number of luxury hotels including Le Manoir Quat' Saisons in Oxfordshire.
Paul White, Orient-Express president and chief executive officer, said: "Orient-Express Hotels has worked long and hard over many years to build a worldwide reputation for Hotel Cipriani. We are entitled to protect this famous name in Europe and it was important to us to do so."
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By Kerstin Kühn
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