A MAN is attempting to take an international organisation to the High Courts, claiming they stole his protected design.

Alistair Cook, 56, of Wood Road, Slough, has created a series of ‘Push’ and ‘Pull’ picture signs to help people open doors.

However, Mr Cook claims that the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has replicated, and is profiting, from one of his designs, after he showed it to one of their representatives.

Mr Cook began creating the Push and Pull signs in 2009, after making four attempts to get through the doors of a coffee shop. After refining his design, he had the symbols protected with European Registered Designs.

In September 2011, Mr Cook contacted the secretary of ISO Graphical Designs, that create and maintain a number of standardised symbols for use around the world – such as the familiar knife and fork symbol to indicate a restaurant, and the green ‘emergency exit’ sign. The ISO representative said that they had no ‘Push’ and ‘Pull’ signs in their catalogues.

However, shortly after Mr Cook approached them, ISO created their own, similar, ‘Push’ and ‘Pull’ signs – prompting a lengthy legal battle, with ISO and the British Standards Institute (BSI) on one side, and Mr Cook on the other.

Magistrates’ court summons were issued against the BSI and ISO in 2017, however the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided to close the case before it could start.

Now, Mr Cook has applied for a judicial review of the CPS decision, with the aid of a legal firm Andrew Storch Solicitors, which if successful will take the organisation to the High Court.

Mr Cook travelled to the ISO main office in Geneva, Switzerland to serve the legal documents upon the organisation himself, only to find that nobody in the organisation would agree to sign for the documents.

Mr Cook claims that ISO has submitted false documents to the High Courts that claim they were incorrectly served.

An ISO spokeswoman said: “Mr Cook tried to bring a private prosecution against BSI and ISO in 2017, in respect of an alleged contravention of the rules regarding the use of the word ‘registered’ for designs under the UK Copyright Designs and Patent Act 1988.

"His claim was judged to be without merit and was therefore discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to avoid a waste of the court’s time.

“Mr Cook is seeking to have the decision of the CPS reviewed again. We expect Mr Cook’s challenge to the CPS’ decision to be rejected as the nature of the case has not changed, however we are of course awaiting the court’s decision.

“Mr Cook’s allegations that ISO submitted false documents to the High Court are incorrect There is a specific legal process for serving papers on a Swiss entity, and no attempt to follow this was made by Mr Cook or his lawyer. Therefore, these documents have not been served.”