6 APRIL 1985, Page 15

Inns of Court

who owns the rights in the Ritz? The Al-Fayed brothers, owners of the Paris Ritz and now of Harrods, are busily pursuing their claims against American multinational companies with Ritz brand- names (City and Suburban, last week). Trafalgar House, owner of the London Ritz, is standing its ground. The Florence Ritz, whose greatest asset must be its name, may have a nasty shock coming. The Ritz of the Skies is the head-in-air slogan of New Zealand's airline. The Gossard Ritz, part of the Courtaulds empire, is a bras- si&e . . . . Here are the signs of a rich vein of litigation – whence the idea that one of the warring Ritz groups will call its next hotel the Weshallnothesitatetoissue Ritz.

Christopher Fildes