The owner of The Conditioning Club in Fairford, England, says a trademark dispute with Gymshark has pushed legal fees into five figures, leaving less money for reinvestment as the proceedings continue.
The dispute concerns rights to the “Conditioning Club” name. Trademark Dashboard’s register-data display identifies Gymshark Limited’s CONDITIONING CLUB wordmark application as UK00004182082, filed March 31, 2025, and lists its status as “Opposed.” Watson’s case page says the gym challenged the application and Gymshark sought to cancel his earlier registration, arguing that the name is descriptive.
Watson’s case page says he applied on April 19, 2021, to register The Conditioning Club for gym and fitness services, and that the mark was registered Nov. 19, 2021. A separate entry in the UK Intellectual Property Office’s 2025 Trade Marks Journal lists an application by The Conditioning Club Ltd, filed June 29, 2025, for THE CONDITIONING CLUB covering clothing and retail services.
Companies House lists Watson as holding at least 75% of The Conditioning Club Ltd’s shares and voting rights. His case page says the legal costs have affected how much the business can put back into its members, community and growth. Watson described the legal work on his CrowdJustice fundraising page as “well into five figures.”
The Guardian reported that the gym has nine staff, three self-employed personal trainers and about 500 members. It said Watson’s legal costs were climbing toward £30,000 and reported that Gymshark declined to comment.
In a Nov. 5 update, Watson said the dispute remained ongoing and that he was preparing evidence for the next stage of the UKIPO proceedings. His update gave no decision date.
