Rumen Islam, from recently founded jacket potato brand The Spud Father, has accused SpudBros of trying to stop it from using its name, saying that legal action had ‘taken a real toll — mentally and emotionally’ on him.
A statement posted on The Spud Father’s Instagram account reads: “After months of graft — long days, late nights, and putting everything we have into The Spud Father — we’ve now been threatened with legal action from Spudbros over the use of our name.
“They’ve trademarked several potato-related words and are now trying to stop us from using ‘The Spud Father’.
“It’s gutting. We’ve poured our heart and soul into this — from the name, to the menu, to every bit of branding and hard work behind the scenes. This isn’t just a business to us — it’s something we’ve built with pride, passion, and community spirit.
“To suddenly face the threat of losing it because a bigger company wants to throw their weight around… it’s hard to put into words how disheartening that feels. The stress and worry have taken a real toll — mentally and emotionally.”
Islam adds that he doesn’t have the “funds or mental capacity to fight Spudbros” in the post.
Filings to the Intellectual Property Office show that Islam submitted an application to trademark the name The Spud Father on 11 September this year, which is currently being examined.
Protecting its name
SpudBros, which is run by brothers Jacob and Harley Nelson, currently owns several trademarks that include The Spudfather, a dish that has featured on its menu before. In a statement, Jacob says that no lawsuit has been filed against The Spud Father and says the trademark exists to ensure the wording could be used on any future merchandise or franchising opportunities.
“When we opened SpudBros Express last year, we launched a dish called The Spudfather named after our dad. He’s been peeling potatoes, running the tram, and supporting us since day one. He’s the reason we’re on this incredible journey. That name means a lot to our family. It became our number one seller. It became part of who we are,” he says.
“As we grew, we developed merch, franchises expanded and had discussions with major retailers. We therefore trademarked The Spudfather to protect it. In June, we paid for it, filed it, and it was approved and registered in September before any other business applied for the same name.
“Trademarks exist to prevent confusion and protect brands and honestly, every business should do a simple trademark search before launching. If that had been done here, none of this would have happened.
“Because without a trademark, another restaurant could open using the same name or supermarkets could sell products using it that aren’t ours, misleading customers and fans.
“After our trademark was granted, a brand-new business opened using the same name. They filed their own trademark and the Intellectual Property Office notified our partners and legal team. Our lawyers responded, as they are required to do.
“To be absolutely clear, there is no lawsuit, no court case, just a standard legal reply to protect something that belongs to our business and our dad’s legacy. We haven’t tried to shut anyone down. We love seeing small food businesses thrive, we were one, and in many ways we still are.”