Mayor Andy Street 'disappointed' at Conservatives' Chronicle trademark infringement

Political campaign material was sent to homes in the style of newspapers, with the titles Wolverhampton Chronicle, Sandwell Chronicle and Dudley Chronicle.

Those names are trademarked by the Midland News Association (MNA), publisher of the Express & Star, and are distributed as free local newspapers across the region under the title Chronicle Week.

It led to confusion among many people receiving them through their doors, who believed they were reading their usual Chronicle.

Mr Street, whose picture appeared on the front cover of the 'Wolverhampton Chronicle', said he was unaware of the blunder until it had been brought to light by the Midland News Association.

The MNA complained to the Conservative Party about the electioneering newspapers. The majority of the publications had no mention that they had been published by the party.

The Tories issued an apology to the MNA and also agreed to provide a donation to charity.

Mr Street, who was reelected as Tory mayor for the West Midlands in 2021, said: “I was extremely disappointed to see the Chronicle newspapers that were produced by the Conservative Party. They were an obvious case of copyright infringement and so I want to make it clear that the choice of title was made without my knowledge or approval.

“Attempting to mimic trusted news sources is profoundly wrong, and so I am pleased that following my intervention the matter has been resolved satisfactorily with the Express & Star with a full apology issued and money donated to charity.

“Leaflets and political newspapers are an effective way for politicians to communicate with their residents, but there has to be distinct separation between those communications and the hard work that our local news outlets do to uphold democracy.”

Midland News Association managing director Matt Ross said that, by mimicking long-standing titles owned by the MNA, the Conservative Party was seeking disingenuously to benefit from the credibility of trusted local news brands which have been a part of the fabric of communities across the West Midlands for generations.

He today welcomed the "swift and helpful" intervention of Mr Street once he was made aware of the situation.

Mr Ross said: "It is refreshing to see that someone has acknowledged this as an issue. I would hope that all political parties will take note and ensure that they act responsibly when distributing political material.

“All of these titles are trademarked by us. It is vitally important that we protect both their integrity and the rights of our readers who look to our titles for reliable and objective news and information."

The Electoral Commission has been critical of the tactic of making political campaign material look like a newspaper. It has called on political parties “to take greater responsibility for the presentation and content of campaigns” but says it has no legal powers to control content.