The Patent Office is poised to rule on a complaint that the cheeky acronym is too offensive. Dennis Woodman, a retired businessman, wants the branding banned as 'contrary to accepted principles of public decency'. He believes the trademark, which has been used by the retailer for seven years, breaches the 1994 Trade Marks Act.
Lawyers for the retailer argued that FCUK is simply a 'light-hearted and humorous play on words'. The trademark Dick & Fanny was cited as a precedent passed by the Patent Office.
French Connection, headed by mercurial founder Stephen Marks, has been downplaying the importance of its FCUK branding for some time. Fashion industry insiders have claimed the joke is tired and an updated image is needed.
The retailer has issued a string of profit warnings. The most recent was at the start of this month, when it disclosed that full-year profits were likely to come in between£11 million and£14 million.
There has been speculation that Icelandic investor Baugur, which has been stake building, is interested in buying the business. However, any change in ownership would be dependent on Marks, who still controls more than 40 per cent of the shares.
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