ECJ: Stringent requirements for registering a color mark as an EU trademark
A beverage manufacturer had a combination of colors registered as an EU trademark. In a ruling from July 29, 2019, the ECJ confirmed that the mark is null and void (Az.: C-124/18 P).
Registering a combination of colors requires overcoming significant hurdles. We at the commercial law firm MTR Rechtsanwälte https://www.mtrlegal.com/en.html note, for instance, that the arrangement of the colors and their relationship to one another need to be clearly defined, and the mark must be sufficiently distinct from products of other providers.
A beverage manufacturer failed to meet these requirements, having registered two combinations of colors as EU trademarks. A rival firm successfully filed challenges to these with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), claiming that the information provided about the combination of colors was much too vague. The ratio of the colors of the first mark was described as roughly 50:50, while the colors of the second mark were described as being depicted next to each other in equal proportions.
This description was first rejected by the General Court of the European Union for being too imprecise. In November 2017, it held that the color mark lacked sufficient distinctive character. This decision has since been upheld by the ECJ in spite of the beverage manufacturer“s argument that the combination of colors had achieved significant brand awareness and possessed distinctive character.
The ECJ clarified that the graphic representation of two or more colors must be systematically arranged in such a way that the colors concerned are associated in a predetermined and uniform way. The mere juxtaposition of two or more colors, without shape or contours, or a reference to two or more colors „in every conceivable form“, will not exhibit the required qualities of precision and uniformity.
According to the case-law of the ECJ, combinations of colors cannot be granted an EU trademark if they allow for a plurality of reproductions. If this is the case, the requirement for a trademark to be clear is not met.
Trademarks are an important asset for businesses. Yet registering a trademark may require overcoming significant hurdles. Lawyers with experience in the field of IP law can advise on trademark law.
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MTR lawyers www.mtrlegal.com/en/ is an international full service law firm. The lawyers counsel on corporate and commercial law, business law, tax law, IT law and IP law and distribution law. The law firm advises international companies, corporations, mid-sized businesses and private clients worldwide. MTR Rechtsanwaelte can be found in Berlin Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf Frankfurt Hamburg Munich Stuttgart, Germany
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