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

“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.

The Guardian revealed on Friday that Josef Kleindienst, the Austrian property developer who is 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 European Union.