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Viral jacket potato sellers SpudBros have hit back at claims they are 'bullying' a small business after it tried to use the name of one of their biggest-selling dishes. And co-founder Jacob Nelson, 30, said the resulting online storm had led to warnings that their Preston tram would be vandalised - and even threats to his three-year-old daughter. Jacob and brother Harley, 22, became a TikTok sensation after they started sharing videos of themselves serving up hot potato snacks to customers. The duo have now amassed more than four million followers and even expanded to a central London store, attracting visitors from across the world. But they were yesterday accused of bullying by The Spud Father, which opened in Portsmouth last month aiming to capitalise on the hot new food craze. Owner Rumen Islam, 27, said lawyers for SpudBros had threatened him with legal action as the Lancashire brothers had already trademarked the name. One of the main offerings on the SpudBros menu, The Spudfather is a concoction topped with three types of cheese mix, chilli con carne and crispy onions. 'To suddenly face the threat of losing it because a bigger company wants to throw their weight around… it’s hard to put into words how disheartening that feels,' Rumen wrote on social media. Hitting back, Jacob said SpudBros were 'not suing anyone' or 'trying to ruin someone’s livelihood', adding: 'Not now. Not ever.' 'This isn’t a statement we ever wanted to make but when my three year old daughter starts receiving threats, enough is enough,' he posted on the official SpudBros Instagram account. 'You’ve grown with us from day one. 'You’ve seen every step from our small tram in Preston to SpudBros Express in London and Liverpool. We’ve always been open with you, so it's important you know the truth here too. 'There are rumours flying around that we’ve sued a small business called The Spudfather, or that we’re trying to ruin someone’s livelihood. 'We are not suing anyone. Not now. Not ever.' Jacob said the Spudfather dish was a tribute to their father Anthony, 57, who along with Harley opened the business in 2020. 'He’s been peeling potatoes, running the tram, and supporting us since day one,' Jacob wrote. 'He’s the reason we’re on this incredible journey. That name means a lot to our family. 'It became our number one seller. It became part of who we are. 'As we grew, we developed merch, franchises expanded and had discussions with major retailers. 'We therefore trademarked The Spudfather to protect it. 'In June, we paid for it, filed it, and it was approved and registered in September before any other business applied for the same name.' Jacob informed followers that trademarks 'exist to prevent confusion and protect brands', adding that 'every business should do a simple trademark search before launching'. 'If that had been done here, none of this would have happened. 'Because without a trademark, another restaurant could open using the same name or supermarkets could sell products using it that aren’t ours, misleading customers and fans. 'After our trademark was granted, a brand-new business opened using the same name. 'They filed their own trademark and the Intellectual Property Office notified our partners and legal team. 'Our lawyers responded, as they are required to do. 'To be absolutely clear, there is no lawsuit, no court case, just a standard legal reply to protect something that belongs to our business and our dad’s legacy. 'We haven’t tried to shut anyone down. 'We love seeing small food businesses thrive, we were one, and in many ways we still are. 'We wish this hadn’t gone online before we’d even had a chance to speak to one another, resolve this or get a response from the IPO. 'There's been huge misunderstanding and suddenly we were dealing with threats towards my three-year-old daughter and people saying they would vandalise the tram. 'That’s why we’re addressing this properly.' Jacob added that the SpudBros had trademarked other brand names including their signature tangy Tram Sauce 'because we want to take this dream further into supermarkets and beyond'. 'We are still the same family business, just with bigger ambition building a global brand and these are the things that need to happen. 'And look, if you run a business, please always check trademarks first. It protects you too.' Jacob said he had since 'reached out privately to The Spudfather'. 'We would never want anyone to feel attacked,' he added. 'That’s not who we are and it’s not cool.' And in a message to fans he concluded: 'The internet can be painfully hateful but we will keep doing what we’ve always done: work hard, stay positive and put good energy into everything we do. 'Thank you for always supporting us and supporting our family. 'And please always support your local spud seller too. There is room for everyone to succeed.' In his original post, Rumen wrote: 'I never thought I’d have to write something like this. 'After months of graft — long days, late nights, and putting everything we have into The Spud Father — we’ve now been threatened with legal action from Spudbros over the use of our name. 'They’ve trademarked several potato-related words and are now trying to stop us from using “The Spud Father.” 'It’s gutting. We’ve poured our heart and soul into this — from the name, to the menu, to every bit of branding and hard work behind the scenes. 'This isn’t just a business to us — it’s something we’ve built with pride, passion, and community spirit. 'To suddenly face the threat of losing it because a bigger company wants to throw their weight around… it’s hard to put into words how disheartening that feels. The stress and worry have taken a real toll — mentally and emotionally. 'Thank you to every single person who’s stood by us, sent messages, and kept us going through this. Your support means the world.' Rumen also shared his disappointment on a video on TikTok, where he spoke about the toll which it had taken on him - adding that he accepts he will need to come up with a new name for his start-up. He told his followers he will take time away from the stand due to all the stress caused by the threat of legal action. 'Unfortunately I think we will have to change our name,' he added. 'It is hard, we are a really small business. 'It has taken a long time, a long journey of hard work, so many different emotions to try and get this up and ready. 'We are a small business, a really small business. I am born and bred in Pompey, we opened this for the locals, we know a lot of our customers. 'For someone else to come and say "yeah, that is it" is quite disheartening.' Responding to Jacob's post, he questioned the timing of SpudBros' decision to trademark The Spudfather, claiming they did so 'as soon as they saw us opening'. But followers were not sympathetic, with one writing: 'Even if that’s true there’s nothing you can do about that now unfortunately. 'They’ve trademarked it and that’s it. It’s business.' Another replied: 'You know like McDonald's named it the big Mac and trademarked it. That's what businesses do!' And a third wrote: 'The first thing you do when opening a business is check the name you like isn't trademarked, in this case The Spudfather is. 'You should take accountability.' The Preston potato tram business was founded in 1955 by Ernie Rhodes, who then passed it on to his nephew Keith Roberts in 1978. Exactly 30 years later, Keith passed the company to his son, who was also called Keith, but he passed away in 2020. Anthony then took over the business, and his two sons have served jacket potatoes five days a week ever since. Jacob quit his job as a sales manager to work at the company full time and the duo decided to start posting on TikTok to market themselves to the thousands of students that live in Preston.
