The name's Bond... Oddjob's hatter and King Charles's tailor supply evidence in 007 trademark fight

King Charles's personal shirtmaker. The world's oldest hatters, designer of fitments for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation crown and with fans including Winston Churchill. A luxury sports brand with a "spy-ready" ski-suit. Has James Bond assembled a crack team that can take on his latest adversary?

- Mark Sweney

Lawyers representing Danjaq, the US-based company that controls the rights to worldwide Bond merchandising in conjunction with the UK-based production company Eon, have filed evidence running to 227 pages as they battle to retain control of the superspy's name across Europe.

In February, the Guardian revealed that a Dubai-based property developer had filed claims in the UK and EU arguing that lack of use meant various protections had lapsed around Bond's intellectual property, including his name, his 007 assignation and the catchphrase "Bond, James Bond".

Nearly all of the nine trademarks being challenged relate to the merchandising of goods and services under the Bond name, which can be challenged after five years of "non-use".

Josef Kleindienst, an Austrian who is building a $5bn (£3.7bn) luxury resort complex called the Heart of Europe on six artificial islands off Dubai, has argued that the trademarks have been commercially underexploited.

Boehmert & Boehmert, one of the largest intellectual property law firms in Europe, representing Danjaq, has hit back, filing evidence to the European trademark office from a veritable who's who of high-end partners still using the Bond name in an effort to defend the 007 franchise.