Founded | 2019 |
---|---|
Founder | Katerina Yip |
Headquarters | Hong Kong |
Products | Souvenir plots |
Parent | Galton Voysey |
Website | establishedtitles |
Established Titles is a company which sells souvenir plots of Scottish land from 1 sq ft (0.09 m2) to 20 sq ft (1.86 m2). The company retains legal ownership of the land. While the company claims that those who buy the 'plots' can choose to be titled Lord, Laird or Lady, as part of a supposed "traditional Scottish custom", souvenir plots are too small to be legally registered for ownership and owners of souvenir plots do not have the right to officially title themselves. [1] It owns land in Ardallie, Aberdeenshire, [2] [3] Dunfermline, Dumfries, Galloway and the Borders. [4] YouTuber Scott Shafer's video alleging that the company was a scam caused significant controversy and many YouTubers to cease receiving sponsorships from the company. [5]
It was founded by CEO Katerina Yip. [2] Established Titles has allegedly been referred to the Advertising Standards Authority. [6] It received backlash for its aggressive marketing efforts, which involves recruiting YouTubers for promotions. [4] [7] The company is owned by Hong Kong-based investment firm, Galton Voysey Ltd. [8]
On 23 November 2022, YouTuber Scott Shafer uploaded a video accusing Established Titles of being a scam that misleads its customers, advising YouTubers to stop working with the company as they do not legally bestow ownership. [9] After the video went viral, many YouTubers dropped their sponsorships, including Philip DeFranco and SomeOrdinaryGamers. Established Titles defended itself in a letter to its partners saying that it was "under a targeted, completely unfounded attack based on bogus claims", claiming that it had been transparent about its practices. Many other YouTubers have released videos reasserting Shafer's stance. [2] [4] [10] [11]
Legally, the company never transfers ownership of the plots to the customers, but even if they did, the Court of the Lord Lyon has stated that "ownership of a souvenir plot of land does not bring with it the right to any description such as ‘laird’, ‘lord’ or ‘lady’". The Court also stated that laird is not a title but a description of an owner of a large estate, not a residential sized property or smaller, and that the titles lord or lady can only be conferred by letters patent, at the pleasure of the Sovereign. [12] Additionally, the Land Registration etc. (Scotland) Act 2012 specifically excludes souvenir plots, which it defines as a plot "of inconsiderable size and of no practical utility", from being registered in Scotland. [13]
Established Titles said that the plots were "a fun gift, meant for a good laugh" and that customers are aware of this; this has been refuted, according to NBC News, by customers who have reported that they believed they were buying land. [2]
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