A Kiwi biscuit giant has left an Auckland business with nothing but a glass of sour milk after claiming potential trademark breaches.

Moustache Milk and Cookie Bar, on Wellesley St in central Auckland, was given an ultimatum by Christchurch-based Cookie Time earlier this month: change your name or else.

The biscuit Goliath had beef with Moustache over their use of the term Cookie Bar, which Cookie Time claims is trademarked by its shop in Queenstown.

And even though the business is registered as Moustache but promotes itself as a milk and cookie bar - that wasn't good enough.

Cookie Time general manger Lincoln Booth said protecting the intellectual property of its brand was at the heart of the company's success.

"We have been talking with the Moustache Milk and Cookie kitchen to let them know that any use of 'Cookie Bar' is a potential trademark infringement and suggested a time frame of several weeks for electronic material and up to six months for any printed material that refers to 'Cookie Bar' to be run out," he said.

"They have indicated they will sort this out as soon as possible."

Moustache has turned to its Facebook fans for suggestions in renaming the business saying: "A big cookie company is not having a good time with us. They don't want us to say we are a milk & cookie bar anymore so in true Kiwi fashion, we are now becoming a Milk & Cookie Baa. Perhaps not the best of rebrands? Help us out people of Aotearoa, give us some suggestions for what we can classify ourselves as being!"

More than 150 people have responded on the fan page.

Some of the alternatives recommended by enthusiasts are Moustache Milk and Cookie Baa, Moustache Cookie and Milk Bar, Moustache - Milk and Cookie Club and Moustache Milk and Cookie Saloon.

Booth said Cookie Time was not looking to take any legal action at this point.

"Naturally we believe entrepreneurship is to be celebrated and we recognise a huge amount of effort has gone into the Moustache bar so we see no need at this point to take any formal or legal steps on this," Booth said.

Moustache has declined to comment.

- © Fairfax NZ News