Huddersfield entrepreneur Craig Waddington has won a trademark battle with the giant owner of airline and holiday company easyJet.
easyGroup Ltd took on Mr Waddington’s Easy Bathrooms claiming an infringement of copyright and a ‘passing off’ of easyGroup’s brand.
Mr Waddington, who grew up on a council estate in Kirkheaton, founded Easy Bathrooms in West Yorkshire in 2013. It started with a single showroom and is now one of the UK’s largest bathroom and tile retailers with more than 150 showrooms nationwide.
Easy Bathrooms’ parent company Cubico (UK) Ltd first faced claims from easyGroup in 2018 and the company has been represented by Yorkshire law firm Schofield Sweeney.
On July 1 2026, the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) delivered its judgment in the case. The claimant, easyGroup, had brought claims of passing off and trademark infringement, and challenged the validity of Cubico and Easy Bathrooms’ UK registered trademarks.
In the proceedings, easyGroup claimed that its marks, which included easyJet, easyGroup and easyHotel, formed an “easy Family of Marks.”
However, Her Honour Judge Melissa Clarke dismissed easyGroup’s claims in full, confirming that Easy Bathrooms’ key trademarks remain valid, allowing the retailer to continue trading under its established name.
The successful defence was led by James Staton (above), a partner in the Dispute Resolution team at Schofield Sweeney, who said: “We are incredibly proud to have supported Easy Bathrooms in securing this decisive victory.
“Having advised Cubico since the first complaint was raised in 2018, it is highly rewarding to see the court dismiss these claims in full.
“This judgment protects our client’s hard-earned brand identity and allows them to continue their impressive national growth trajectory without this challenge hanging over them.”
Mr Waddington, founder and chairman of Easy Bathrooms, said: “We’re delighted with the court’s decision.
“Throughout these proceedings our focus never changed, we carried on growing the business, opening new showrooms and supporting customers across the UK.
“Being named National Bathroom Retailer of the Year for the second consecutive year during that period says everything about where our energy has been.
“We’ve always respected the importance of intellectual property rights and the role they play in protecting businesses.
“Equally, we’ve always believed that Easy Bathrooms earned its reputation through the quality of its people, the experience we give our customers and the strength of the business we’ve built.
“We can now look to the future and carry on doing what we’ve always done: helping customers create beautiful bathrooms.”
Mr Staton was supported by colleague Emily Brown while barrister Denise McFarland, joint head of chambers at Three New Square Intellectual Property, acted as counsel for Cubico.
Schofield Sweeney also provides comprehensive legal support to Cubico across employment, corporate and property matters.
