Comic Relief `stole noses'

FRIVOLITY WAS tinged with fury yesterday after the organisers of Comic Relief's Red Nose Day were accused of stealing the design for their hooting plastic noses.

As celebrities launched the day of forced humour, Result International Ltd, a small design company from Esher, Surrey, lodged a writ in the Patent Court of the Chancery Division. It claims that after spending three months developing the nose, Comic Relief passed samples to a rival firm.

No one was laughing yesterday as Comic Relief described the writ as cynical and "very disappointing". A spokeswoman said: "We last heard from the company in November and then nothing until today.

"You have to look at the timing of this - it is very cynical. We have taken legal advice on this and we have been told that it is unsubstantiated.

"It's deplorable that this should come out on the launch of Red Nose Day. It's purely opportunistic."

Result International reportedly wants the charity to pay it pounds 500,000 in lost earnings after the contract for the noses - being sold in Sainsbury's, Savacentre and Homebase at pounds 1 each - went to Watermark Plc.

Result's director, Robert Seymour, declined to comment. Earlier he had been quoted as saying: "We produced a number of samples of our product and passed them on to Comic Relief. They liked the design and even asked for a visit to the factory we use in China. But last August they contacted us and said they had given the design to somebody else."

The company's solicitor, Valerie Toon, yesterday said no amount of compensation had been mentioned in the writ. She declined to comment further.

Comic Relief's Red Nose Day is to be held on 12 March and organisers hope that in the coming five weeks they will raise more than pounds 30m.