Facefood – trademark infringement or a clever marketing idea?

variety of fruitsIf hijacking a corporate logo and passing it off as your own doesn’t sound like a flagrant invasion of trademark infringement, we’re not quite sure what does – but that’s exactly what a business in Cardiff has done.

Introjucing Facefood, Roath’s newest patisserie and juice bar. With an exhaustive list of juices and all manner of Turkish sweets on offer, the café has received both local and national press attention. Unfortunately, media moguls haven’t been flocking to sample a carrot and cucumber juice, but instead to gawp at the café’s sign which bears a striking resemblance to the almighty Facebook.

With a bright blue background and bold white lettering, the shop front sign comes complete with the all too familiar friend request, notification and speech mark logos. In fact, so similar is the Facefood design to Facebook, if we didn’t know any better we’d assume this was the official café.

Conversely, Facefood manager, Samir Bougaci is one person who seemed unfazed by the logo similarity: “We have not spoken with Facebook – we have not heard from them..[Facebook] is nothing to do with me,” he said.

Bougaci, originally from Algeria, admitted the design had attracted attention: “Business is going ok; lots of people have been coming in and taking pictures.”

A quick scan of Facebook’s terms and conditions reveal that combining the social giant’s logo with new artwork or replicating it in any way is an unacceptable breach of trademark policy.

Somewhat ironically, the media attention surrounding Facefood has filtered into social media platforms, with many taking to Twitter to voice their opinions. Opinions were divided, some tweeters saw the humorous side, some were confused about whether the two businesses were affiliated; however, the vast majority were just curious to see if and what steps Facebook would take.

When asked whether he thought the logo was similar to the almighty social giant, Bougaci appeared nonchalant: “It’s different from Facebook, it’s different words.”
This is not the first Facebook inspired business to hit the globe, in Turkey a waffle restaurant also called Facefood use a similar logo.

Since its inception in 2004, Facebook has amassed a billion users worldwide. The popular social media platform has since reported they are ‘looking into the matter’. Meanwhile, Bougaci is unlikely to be receiving a friend request notification from Mark Zuckerberg anytime soon, ooh er.

If you’re planning to pull a stunt like Bougaci, it’s probably best to have some decent business insurance in place in case you push your luck too far. If you’re looking for small business insurance or liability insurance, ConstructaQuote can provide you with a competitive quote in minutes.

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Have our fuel prices been rigged over the last decade?

We don’t need to tell you that fuel prices have gone up considerably in the last few years. According to PetrolPrices.com, the average litre of fuel cost 90.8p in spring 2009, compared to 138.8p this March. That’s an increase of over 52% in just four years.

Back in the good old days

Back in the good old days

But after evidence came to light that some of the world’s biggest oil companies have been colluding and fixing petrol prices, motorists across Britain are coming to terms with the fact that they may actually have been paying over the odds for petrol and diesel for the last decade.

Investigators of the European Commission raided the offices of BP, Shell, Statoil and price-reporting agency Platts after they were tipped off that the companies had been distorting prices since 2002. And although the Commission emphasised that the raids didn’t prove the oil companies’ wrongdoing, they are currently cooperating with the investigation.

The cost to businesses could run into billions”

Meanwhile, motorist groups and MPs have reacted with dismay. Quentin Wilson, from the petrol action group FairFuelUK, said he wasn’t surprised by the revelations.

He added: “The whole market needs much greater scrutiny. It’s opaque without any real accountability. If the allegations are true and the European Commission do find robust evidence, this is a price-fixing scandal that will make Libor look like overcharging in a sweet shop.

“And the actual cost to businesses and consumers over the last decade could if these allegations are true, run into many billions of pounds.”

Was the petrol market “working well”?

In the light of the new developments, many experts are also asking how the Office of Fair Trading, when investigating the petrol market in January, stated that it was “working well”. The Conservative MP for Harlow, Robert Halfon, said that the “limp-wristed, lettuce leaf” inquiry failed to spot what could all too easily be a national scandal – while he called for the oil companies to recompense the millions of motorists who have been hit by the price-fixing, if it is proved.

The Prime Minister’s Spokesman said it was would be “deeply worrying if prices have been driven up for consumers”, but stressed that the OFT investigation could only investigate petrol prices rather than the larger issue of oil prices that’s dealt with by the European Commission.Money pump

What does this mean for small businesses?

Unfortunately, in the short to medium term, this news will have little effect on petrol prices, although small businesses are currently enjoying a recent dip in prices. If the investigation does uncover illegal collusion between corporations, severe repercussions can be expected, as well as legislation to prevent the same thing happening again. To stay updated on the story as it continues to unravel, keep visiting us at ConstructaQuote.

Images: images of money, NedRichards.

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British Gas tests Nissan eNV200 in real world conditions

Over the last year, British Gas has undertaken extensive trials to bring out a greener van for their fleet vehicles. The energy company selected the electric powered Nissan eNV200 to replace their existing diesel vehicles after they decided that it could no longer ignore the benefits of electric vans.

Testing, testingGreen Van

Before rolling the green vehicle out to their entire fleet, British Gas carried out rigorous testing to ensure that it would be able to cope with everyday use. The eNV200 was loaded up with weight to simulate the tools and equipment that the gas engineers need at every job and was driven around in a variety of different conditions. Nissan’s green van held its own during these tests, powering through conditions where the temperatures dropped as low as -12 and covering over 1,200 miles! Several large fleet operators including FedEx, Coco-cola and Japan Post Service have already conducted these tests and gave positive comments about not only the reduced environmental impact but also the comfort and carry capacity of the eNV200.

Benefits of electric

With the price of petrol constantly increasing it make sense to look for cheaper ways of running your fleet. A recent study by the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory estimated that fleets running between 430 and 33,000 vehicles could save around £350,000 every year and reduce the Co2 emissions by 5%. What’s more, for larger operators this could be achieved simply by replacing 10% of their existing fleet with electric vans. British Gas plans on completely eliminating the use of diesel vans by 2015, which will see a drastic reduction in the company’s carbon footprint. There is additional financial benefit as the Government are also providing grants to businesses to encourage the use of low emission vehicles.

About the eNV200

Nissan’s eNV200 combines the drive train from the Nissan Leaf with the body of the NV200 to create the most popular electric van in the current market. There have been several improvements made to the van during the testing period including improvements to the battery, which has an expected range of 124 miles on a single charge. This van has attracted a lot of attention from several large fleet operators and provided the testing up to 2014 is as successful, as it has been to date, then it is likely to become a very common sight on UK roads. There are several other electric vans emerging in the marketplace including the Berlingo Electric and an electric version of the Peugeot Partner van.

Cons of electric

There has been a lot of arguments for and against electric cars. Although they do have many good qualities they don’t provide the same performance as a traditional petrol or diesel engine. Here’s a brief list of the cons of electric cars:

• Short range
• Expensive to buy
• Can’t currently buy used
• Difficult to find a mechanic for electric vans
• Public charging spots few and far between
• Home chargers expensive and time consuming

If you’ve been swayed to go green and your thinking about upgrading your fleet to electric vehicles to save money, then may also want to look for a cheaper insurance quote. Constructaquote compares thousands of insurances prices online to get you the best insurance for your fleet.

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How to create the ultimate van survival kit

Van emergency kitImagine your van has given up the ghost in the middle of nowhere. Would you be prepared for whatever the world may throw at you?

Most breakdown cover companies recommend that you keep such an extensive range of survival items in your vehicle that you’d need to dig your way in and out of the driver’s seat every day – probably using the snow shovel they suggested! This DIY survival guide includes everything you’ll realistically need in an emergency. What’s more, it can all fit inside a regular backpack!

Keep calm and carry on

The first thing you’re told to do in an emergency is to maintain order and the same thing goes when you’re planning for one! By choosing a bag with side pockets and good storage capacity you can keep all the emergency items organised in one convenient place. There’s no need to rush out and buy a new bag if you don’t have one to suffice, you could use a cardboard box or even a drawstring bag – ideally something portable, but it doesn’t need to have mountaineering specifications.

The bare necessities

Okay, so you’re in the middle of nowhere. You’ve already been stuck for four hours and the breakdown people say they’ll get to you soon – conveniently not giving a proper ETA. It is around this time you’re probably starting to get hungry and thirsty, but luckily you packed the basic essentials in your survival kit: A few bottles of water and a box of long life granola bars. It may not sound like much but when you’re on the side of a lonely road with nothing around, these supplies fall just short of a feast!

The basic essentials you should include in your survival kit are:

  • Water and granola bars
  • A blanket/ space blanket
  • Hi-vis Ponchos
  • Ziplock bags containing strike anywhere matches and tea light candles
  • A torch, preferably wind up or with extra batteries
  • First aid kit
  • Toilet paper

Recovery

Once you’ve taken care of yourself and everyone is safe and sound for the time being, the next step is recovering your van. To do this you need to keep some recovery tools in your vehicle, such as:

  • A shovel – you can save space with a folding shovel
  • A tow rope
  • Jump cables*
  • A heavy-duty car jack
  • Grit and snow chains for cold weather
  • Old carpet to give your car grip if you are stuck in snow, mud or sand.
  • A fire extinguisher
  • Duct tape*
  • A multi-tool*
  • In-car phone charger*
  • National map with details on many locations

 If you want a small survival kit then only include these items indicated with a *.  Chances are you’ll be able to phone a break down company who can recover your van.  Not every situation requires a full scale, zombie apocalypse-esque emergency kit, but it is always better to be safe than sorry! By organising and creating a survival kit for your van you can handle any situation just like MacGyver – just remember to check the expiry dates on food and drink products and replace anything you use. An emergency kit is the perfect insurance policy in times of crisis and Constructaquote also offer cheap insurance policies to help get you back on the road if catastrophe does strike.

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Fixed penalty notices when driving an employer’s vehicle

Policeman giving driver a ticket

“Thank you Officer. Yep, yep, you have a lovely afternoon too”

Fixed penalty notices are common. Whether it’s breaking the speed limit, failing to wear a seat belt or talking on the phone whilst driving, if you spend much of your workday on the road then getting caught is an occupational hazard.

As you are doubtless aware, too many points on a UK driving licence means disqualification, and if driving is an essential part of your job then the consequences could be devastating.

One crucial point to remember if you drive for a living, perhaps as a courier or a taxi driver, or drive a work’s van to and from the site every day, is that if you are caught, in or out of working hours, then the points will be added to your personal licence. If your total number of points reaches 12, you will then have to surrender your licence.

If you are convicted of a driving offence it is essential you tell your employer. Although the driver will be personally liable for the fine, if the offence is committed in a business vehicle the employer may receive a summons too, so spare your boss the nasty surprise. In this situation, honesty is the best policy. If nothing else, it gives your boss time to digest the information and calm themselves down. Also, there’s a good chance any correspondence will go straight to the business anyway, so make the best of a bad situation and tell them first.

Once a ticket has been issued you have 28 days to pay the fine. It is tempting to ignore the fine altogether; however, this will only exacerbate the situation, as your fine will then increase by 50 per cent. If you’ve been caught by a speed camera you’ll receive a ticket in the post. You then have to admit you were the driver at the time and send off your licence for the points to be added.

Whether you receive a fixed penalty notice or face prosecution for the driving offence is at the discretion of the enforcing officer. However, if you wish to contest the issue of a ticket, you can request a court hearing if you have good reason to do so. Requesting a court hearing without good reason is entirely counterproductive – if you’re found guilty of the offence you’ll likely be liable for court costs, which will far exceed the original fine.

Certain offences, predominately those regarding a vehicle’s condition, can be classed as dual-liability, which means the driver and the vehicle owner are both responsible for the van’s shortcomings. In this case, the driver is responsible for paying the fine whilst the employer receives a summons.

Recent research has shown that the real cost of a speeding ticket is £240, due to the subsequent increase you can expect in your insurance premium. Whether you’re looking for a business or personal van insurance policy, get a quote from ConstructaQuote today. Our polices start from as little as £190 a year.

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