Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are involved in a Top Gear legal dispute.
The trio have worked together for 22 years on globally popular shows Top Gear and The Grand Tour forming an iconic presenting partnership.
Having worked together on the show and, before that, Top Gear for a combined 22 years, the gang called it a day with one final special of The Grand Tour last month.
Yet Clarkson, May and Hammond are now together once more but not in the usual way but rather in a legal battle.
Coventry YouTuber Johnny Rickard believes he is at risk of being sued by the trio of ex-Top Gear stars after becoming embroiled in a dispute over the name of his page called the Gear Knob.
Having previously worked for BBC Top Gear, Johnny launched the channel earlier this year but that this move landed him in a trademark dispute with the trio of presenters.
He told the Coventry Live: “As always with a trademark application, the Intellectual Property Office has to go and look for any similar trademarks that already exist, and they found one, a big one!
“I can only assume that this was meant as an alternative title to The Grand Tour, their massive Amazon Prime show.
“Without Clarkson, Hammond, and May influencing me greatly from a young age, I would never have got into TV.
“I would not have worked on Top Gear, and I certainly would not be doing what I am now, they are the original and best, and their impact is felt in every video I have done and that I will do in the future!
“That is, of course, if they do not have me sent to prison for 400 years for violating their trademark.”
A company owned by Clarkson, May and Hammond allegedly owns the trademark for Gear Knobs according to Johnny.
This has been the case since 2015 just prior to the famous trio starting their adventures on Prime Video’s The Grand Tour for Amazon Prime Video.
Johnny has now applied for his YouTube channel, which commenced in February, to get the Gear Knob trademark.
He claims that his endeavour to get the name has been accepted but only on the condition that Clarkson, May and Hammond do not oppose it.
The YouTuber is now waiting to hear back as to whether the three car show presenters will stand against his application.
If they were to do this, Johnny would have to change the YouTube channel’s name.
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