Banksy opens store to thwart card company

The elusive artist says the Croydon shop, Gross Domestic Product, is his way of countering a greeting card company that is allegedly suing him for the trademark to his own name. Mark Stephens, an arts lawyer advising Banksy, suggested opening the shop. "Banksy is in a difficult position because he doesn’t produce his own range of shoddy merchandise and the law is quite clear – if the trademark holder is not using the mark, then it can be transferred to someone who will," Stephens said.