Human rights fundraiser Art for Amnesty, the charity founded by retired barrister Bill Shipsey, has described the issuing of a trademark action against it by Amnesty International as a “great shock”. The board of the Irish-based charity said it only became aware of the High Court proceedings, lodged last Wednesday, from media enquiries. Amnesty, the global human rights organisation, confirmed on Thursday that it was suing Art for Amnesty, and Shipsey personally, over the use of the name “Amnesty” which it claims is “a registered trademark, owned by Amnesty’s International Secretariat”. The charity stated: “For the past three years we have undertaken…