Sicilian coffee roaster Zicaffe tries to block Zara’s new Zacaffe coffee shops By Reuters

MADRID (Reuters) – Sicilian coffee roaster Zicaffe has asked the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIOP) to block the fashion giant. Inditex (BME:) is using the Zacaffe name for its new coffee shops, claiming the name is too similar to its own brand.

Family-owned Zicaffe, which roasts and exports coffee blends, filed its response to the Spanish fashion chain’s patent application on Dec. 25, according to official data published on the EUIOP website seen by Reuters.

Zicaffe said that “zi” and “za” are too close, and there is a potential for confusion, unfair advantage and damage to the distinctiveness of its own brand.

Inditex did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Vito Zichitella, one of Zicaffe’s owners and grandson of its founder.

Inditex opened its first Zacaffe cafe in the new Zara Man store in Madrid as part of a wider strategy to offer new shopping experiences to boost sales.

The world’s largest fast-fashion retailer filed a patent application for the Zacaffe brand on October 7, and people and companies opposing it have until January 10. The EUIOP registration process takes several weeks and includes an appeal possibilities.

Zacaffe opened in Madrid after Inditex tested coffee spaces in stores early last year, notably in Paris and Lisbon, where it sells traditional Portuguese pasteis de nata pastries.

Inditex cafes will have independent access and adapt to their location, the company said in a statement on its website.

In addition to Zara, Inditex also owns other brands such as Bershka, Stradivarius and Massimo Dutti.

In its native Galicia, it has opened a new concept store called El Apartamento, with a cafe space.