BURBERRY has accepted a $100,000 (£55,000) settlement from an American company that tried to trademark a logo similar to the British fashion brand’s 105-year-old equestrian knight.

Marco Leather, a company based in New York that sources goods from China, imported and sold more than 100,000 counterfeit handbags, wallets and goods bearing the iconic Burberry check and Burberry Prorsum knight logo.

The firm also tried to register with the United States Patent & Trademark Office an equestrian knight almost identical to Burberry’s trademark. Minor differences included the lack of a banner and the knight riding in the opposite direction.

Marco Leather also registered a copyright of a variation of the knight superimposed over the Burberry check.

Under an order issued by New York’s southern district court, Marco Leather must abandon the trademark application for the knight logo, assign the registration for the check and knight to Burberry and abandon all rights and appeals related to goods seized by US enforcement agencies.

The American company must also stop using the knight, the check and any other marks of a “confusingly similar” nature.

Under the settlement Marco Leather refused to admit any liability.

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