‘We’re not going to back down’: tiny Portland B&B stands up to Airbnb’s legal bid to ‘monopolise’ letters ‘bnb’

‘We’re not going to back down’: tiny Portland B&B stands up to Airbnb’s legal bid to ‘monopolise’ letters ‘bnb’. Three little letters – bnb-side’s name is a play on the local b-side arts festival, but Silicon Valley colossus sees threat to global brandIn one corner is bnb-side, a six-room bed and breakfast on the Isle of Portland – a tiny wedge of limestone tied by a narrow ribbon of shingle to the Dorset coast – that was created to help secure the future of the rock’s much-loved arts festival, b-side. On the other is Airbnb, the San Francisco-based booking colossus. The battle between them is over the three little letters they share. Continue reading. . .

What happened

View image in fullscreenbnb-side, a six-room B&B on the Isle of Portland, has received legal letters from booking titan Airbnb. In May, it sent the first of three legal letters to the tiny social enterprise to demand it cease its attempt to register the B&B using the name it had used since it opened its doors. View image in fullscreen‘It’s pretty bitter,’ said Cat Wightman, pictured at bnb-side, describing the legal battle with Airbnb, a company that has ‘conquered’ Portland.

“It’s terrifying but we’re not going to back down,” said Holly-Nambi. “It’s quite punchy of Airbnb to say they’re so well-known that they can monopolise a term that they only incorporated into their name in the first place because it was a descriptive one that everyone immediately understood, and then say that someone else using the term is going to confuse customers and damage them. ”Lee Curtis, a partner and chartered trademark attorney at IP law firm HGF, agreed that Airbnb “may be testing the limits” of the law.

Photograph: Handout: bnb-side, PortlandAirbnb’s claim has hit a nerve on the proud, windswept outcrop. We’ve watched other small, local hospitality businesses go under, and local people unable to afford homes here, who have been negatively affected by the force with which the Airbnb market has conquered Portland.

The wider picture

View image in fullscreenThe Airbnb logo on display at its San Francisco HQ – the colossus may be facing an ‘uphill battle’ as it seeks to stake a claim to the letters ‘bnb’. “Some companies may welcome getting a reputation for aggressive enforcement but that can backfire when the target is a community organisation, like this one. ”An Airbnb spokesperson said: “Earlier this year, we were notified of a UK trademark application for “bnb-side” covering a wide-range of services, including holiday home bookings.

We have initiated no other legal proceedings, and continue to extend an invitation to talk. ”Explore more on these topicsAirbnbHospitality industryDorsetFestivalsIntellectual propertyHouse pricesSilicon ValleyfeaturesShareReuse this contentMost viewedMost viewed Photograph: SonyReviewMarvel’s Wolverine review – a gloriously conflicted lead is let down by crude, boring battling PlayStation 5; Insomniac GamesLogan is well realised by Liam McIntyre and some exquisite character art, but there are lapses in narrative and emotional arcs and some of the combat feels like a choreIt was always going to be difficult to follow Spider-Man.

Skip to main contentSkip to navigation ‘We do things differently here in Portland’: Rocca Holly-Nambi, director of b-side, and Cat Wightman, manager of the bnb-side guesthouse. On the other is Airbnb, the San Francisco-based booking colossus. The battle between them is over the three little letters they share. “b-side was founded almost 20 years ago, so when we set up our BnB in 2024 to raise money for the festival, we just popped the ‘bn’ in front because it’s a universally recognised description of what we’re offering. ”Airbnb doesn’t agree.

What has been reported

“According to Airbnb, we can’t describe our BnB as a BnB at all. ”View image in fullscreenA creative retreat held at bnb-side – the social enterprise was set up in 2024 to raise money for the b-side festival. “We’d have to painstakingly build our reputation and brand back up from scratch all over again. ”Raina Summerson, chair of b-side, is fuming and incredulous. One person owns eight properties on the island, all of which are rented out on Airbnb. ”b-side obtained pro bono advice and is working with the law firm Stevens Hewlett & Perkins to defend them, but the process is still intimidating.

“We want to resolve these situations amicably and directly, and contacted the applicant several times with no response, while a subsequent legal letter drew only a brief acknowledgement“With only a two-month window to object under UK rules and no dialogue underway, we filed an objection with the UK intellectual property office to preserve our ability to protect our trademark in the UK. Set years before the founding of the X-Men, Marvel’s Wolverine sees a disenfranchised Logan falling back in with Sabretooth and Mystique when their mentor Nathaniel Essex is kidnapped by mutant-hating billionaire Bolivar Trask.

On top of this you can also unlock new DNA strands, which provide buffs to your health and cooldown speeds. When we do get to big, inviting cities such as Madripoor or Tokyo, we find roads closed off and invisible walls directing us back to the action. The whole world feels like a theatrical backdrop, untouchable and aloof, and many miles from the bustling metropolis we got to live in and explore as Spidey.

What happens next

The climax of the game, when it comes, is an absolute technical marvel, a Homerian clash of super powers, but sadly its impact is lessened by far too many exposition flashbacks and airy metaphysical deviations. Photograph: Pete Millsonb-side says the “bnb” in bnb-side means what it has always meant: bed and breakfast. But lawyers for the Silicon Valley titan say the name of the guesthouse, perched on an outcrop just 4 miles long by 1. 5 miles wide, threatens the global brand of the $100bn heavyweight.

“We thought the name was both really obvious and really cool,” said Rocca Holly-Nambi, director of b-side. “They won’t let us compromise by using a different case, an ampersand or an ‘and’,” said Holly-Nambi. Photograph: HandoutFor bnb-side, losing the argument could mean more than abandoning a clever name.

The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across theguardian.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.