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Kaiser Chiefs have been accused of "blatantly copying" a bicycle parts company's logo for the cover of their new album.
Sturmey-Archer issued a statement dubbing Ricky Wilson and co "Kaiser Thiefs" after their customers spotted the striking similarity between the artwork for the band's upcoming album Education, Education, Education and War, and their own logo.
Alan Clarke, general manager of Sturmey-Archer, said: "I have worked for the company for more than 40 years and I have never known anything quite as blatant as this. We are used to this sort of thing from backstreet suppliers but did not expect it from such a big band. They did not even contact us up front and they have not responded to questions posed since we were alerted by customers."
Kaiser Chiefs have responded to the allegations, claiming they merely took inspiration from the old-fashioned logo and meant no harm. "The lyrics of our new album 'Education, Education, Education & War' look into Britain's past and our designer has deliberately created artwork that references Britain's Heritage," they said in a statement to NME. "We hoped to pay homage to the legacy of Sturmey-Archer and by using this design we did not expect, nor did we intend to upset them."
Education, Education, Education and War will be released March 31, and may or may not feature different artwork upon its release.
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