Celebrity psychic, 38, who counts Love Island and Coronation Street stars among her clients, LOSES High Court trademark battle with rival seer over online ‘Archangel courses’
- Claire Stone, 38, loses High Court battle with rival seer over ‘Archangel courses’
- Alexandra Wenman sued her rival over registering trademark online teachings
- Stone was on The Real Housewives of Cheshire and counts celebs among clients
A celebrity psychic has lost a High Court fight with a rival seer over their online courses offering to connect people with high-ranking angels.
Claire Stone, 38, claims she was born able to see and hear spirits and now uses her gifts to give readings, counting stars of Coronation Street and reality TV among her clients.
But she ended up squaring up in court with rival seer Alexandra Wenman – who describes herself as ‘the go-to voice for the cosmically curious’.
Ms Wenman had for years marketed herself as an ‘Archangel Alchemist’ and objected to Ms Stone trademarking the term ‘Archangel Alchemy’ for her own courses.
They each sued the other and after a trial at the High Court, Ms Stone – who featured on ITV’s ‘The Real Housewives of Cheshire’ – has now been left the loser.
Judge Melissa Clarke said Ms Stone’s trademark was invalid as Ms Wenman had used the tag for years and found that Ms Stone herself had ‘passed off’ her own courses as being linked to her long-established rival.
Using the ‘Archangel Alchemy’ tag ran the risk of directing customers looking for Ms Wenman’s courses to Ms Stone instead, said the judge.
Claire Stone, 38 lost her court fight with long-term rival Alexandra Wenman over her trademarked ‘Archangel courses’. Pictured above: Ms Stone with Coronation Street star Faye Brookes
Alexandra Wenman, pictured, describes herself as the ‘go-to voice for the cosmically curious’ and opposed Ms Stone’s attempt to trademark the phrase ‘Archangel Alchemy’
According to court filings, Ms Stone is a ‘well-known spiritual author and holistic therapist’ with over 20 years’ experience in spiritual coaching.
She wrote the best-selling book ‘The Female Archangels’ and has appeared on TV, newspapers and radio.
On her website, the Cheshire-based psychic describes giving her first readings at the age of 14 and hosting her first event at The Chalice Well, in Glastonbury, at age 19.
She has given readings for celebrities including actress and presenter Dani Dyer and her ex Jack Fincham, Big Brother star Lisa Appleton and Coronation Street and Dancing on Ice’s Faye Brookes.
During the trial earlier this year, her barrister, Charlotte Blythe, said she began offering her online ‘metaphysical education’ course under the brand Archangel Alchemy last July.
The 12-month course focuses on one archangel per month with the aim of developing a connection to each individual’s guardian angel.
She registered the trademark in October, but soon afterwards learned that Ms Wenman was marketing and offering her own ‘Archangel Alchemy’ course online, said Ms Blythe.
Ms Stone, who starred in the Real Housewives of Cheshire (cast pictured above), began offering her identical online ‘Archangel Alchemy’ course last July
She said Ms Wenman’s course provides an ‘identical service’ and does so under an ‘identical mark,’ causing confusion for users.
‘Ms Stone and Ms Wenman provide identical services in the exact same market to the exact same customers,’ she said in Ms Stone’s court filings.
‘Because of such identity and similarity, there exists a likelihood of confusion on the part of the public, including the likelihood of association.’
She asked for Ms Wenman to be stopped by a court order from trading under the Archangel Alchemy brand and damages for infringement of her trademark.
But London-based psychic healer and author Ms Wenman – who describes herself as a ‘cosmic compass, light-bringer, activator, alchemist, channel and seer’ – denied doing anything wrong.
In her defence and counterclaim to Ms Stone’s action, her barrister Chris Hall said Ms Wenman had operated as an ‘Archangel Alchemist’ for years.
‘Ms Stone has only recently begun trading under this name, but Ms Wenman has been trading under this name for 10 years,’ he said.
‘It represents a hugely significant part of her career.’
Ms Wenman has offered spiritual training under the name ‘Archangel Alchemy’ or ‘The Archangel Alchemist’ since 2010 – which are part of the everyday language in the psychic world – he said.
Ms Stone has written a book called The Female Archangels, pictured
She had also written a series of articles using the phrase as a tagline and started hosting workshops incorporating Archangel Alchemy up to a decade ago.
In 2018, she had engaged a brand consultant to help get exposure for her work and in 2019 found an agent to help publish a book called Archangel Alchemy, he added.
The courses she has been running under the brand were simply a ‘continuation’ of what she had been doing for many years previously.
Ms Stone’s trademark is ‘invalid,’ he argued, and it is her course which should be stopped under the Archangel Alchemy name as she had passed them off as being linked to Ms Wenman’s business.
‘Ms Stone has, through her trade in the Archangel Alchemy course passed herself as being, or as being commercially connected to, and or has passed off the Archangel Alchemy course as being operated by or commercially connected with Ms Wenman,’ he said.
Ruling, the judge said Ms Wenman’s magazine columns between 2010 and 2013 under the tag ‘The Archangel Alchemist’ had been the ‘springboard’ from which she grew her small but profitable business.
Ms Stone (pictured) was accused of ‘passing off’ her rival Ms Wenman’s ‘Archangel Alchemy’ tag – which she had used for more than 10 years
Over the ensuing years, she had generated goodwill in the tag ‘Archangel Alchemy’ such that it had not been validly trademarked by Ms Stone for a similar use in 2019.
Backing Ms Wenman’s claim that Ms Stone was guilty of ‘passing off’ her courses as being linked to hers, the judge said use of the ‘Archangel Alchemy’ tag could have caused confusion.
‘There is ample evidence from witnesses that they consider Ms Wenman to be the Archangel Alchemist practicing Archangel Alchemy,’ she said.
‘It is clear in the evidence that third parties introducing Ms Wenman do so by reference to ‘Archangel Alchemy with Alexandra Wenman’ or ‘Alexandra Wenman the Archangel Alchemist’.’
She added: ‘It seems to me inevitable in these circumstances that if someone who had been to one of the Ms Wenman’s courses told another person she had been to an excellent Archangel Alchemy course without providing Ms Wenman’s name, that person doing her own research might find Ms Stone’s course marketed under the trademark and attend it, assuming that it must be, or be connected with, Ms Wenman’s course attended by the original attendee.’
She declared Ms Stone’s trademark invalid and said she was guilty of ‘passing off’.
Ms Wenman had sued for a damages payout, but the judge did not decide this matter in her judgment.
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