James Bond won’t die on my watch, says Austrian who wants ownership of 007

Property developer making trademark challenge claims the spy franchise is in mortal danger

Daniel Craig playing James Bond in No Time To Die. 

“James Bond will not die on our watch,” the businessman challenging the ownership of the rights to 007’s name has said, claiming he is motivated by concerns about the future of the multibillion-pound global spy franchise.

It was revealed on Friday that Josef Kleindienst, the Austrian property developer building a $5bn luxury resort complex called the Heart of Europe on six artificial islands off Dubai, is challenging the trademark ownership of the James Bond name in the UK and the EU.