A DISPUTE between two breweries about the use of the Yorkshire white rose as a logo will be heard in the High Court today.

Cropton Brewery, a microbrewery behind the New Inn at Cropton, near Pickering, North Yorkshire, is being taken to court by the Samuel Smith brewery, in Tadcaster, over its use of a white rose on a bottle of a charity brew.

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Croptons launched its Yorkshire Warrior Ale in 2008 in support of the Yorkshire Regiment to raise funds for soldiers who are seriously wounded in Afghanistan.

The logo for the bottle features the Yorkshire Regiment’s emblem – a lion carrying the standard of St George above a white rose.

But Samuel Smith’s, which has used the white rose as its trademark since the Sixties, issued Croptons with a writ last year, arguing that the use of the white rose is confusingly similar to its own logo.

Cropton has denied the claims, saying the rose is a common symbol and that Samuel Smith’s was not entitled to any monopoly over its use. It also said a number of other Yorkshire breweries also use the rose.

The case will be heard at the High Court today, where lawyers for Samuel Smith’s will allege that the company continues to suffer actual or threatened loss to its brand.

Since 2008, the Yorkshire Warrior Ale has raised £10,000 for the Yorkshire Regiment, although its emblem has now been removed from the bottles after the regiment decided not to become involved in the legal dispute while soldiers were still serving in Afghanistan.