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Distinctive character vs. marketing

Distinctive character vs. marketing

Should a trademark be strictly or at least partially related to the products and services that it is intended to identify? The Court of Justice of the European Union recently answered this question, among other things, by ruling on a case involving a Polish company. The case began in 2020 when the Polish company Sushi & Food Factor sp. z o.o. sp.k. filed an application with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to register two European Union word-graphic trademarks. Each of the marks contained the text "READY4YOU," with the words separated by hyphens, and what distinguished them was the background color. The application covered classes 29, 30, and 43 of the classification of goods and services, which mainly relate to, among other things, catering services, beverages, and food.

Table of contents:

No distinguishing feature

In examining the application, the EUIPO found that both marks lack distinctive character. In a free translation, “READY4YOU” means “ready for you,” which potential consumers will interpret as such, and it will simply be a promotional slogan intended to promote products and services. The Office emphasized that in the case of both trademarks, there is no reference to the products they designate, and the colors of the background are not unique to the food industry. Furthermore, the simple graphical separation of the words with slashes is not enough to make potential consumers think of the marks in any way other than as a promotional message. As a result, the application was rejected. The Polish company did not give up and appealed the decision to the Court of Justice of the European Union. In its reasoning, it stated that the EUIPO completely overlooked the fact that the registered marks are part of a family of marks, the main element of which is the “4you” fragment, which represents the company’s business concept. Furthermore, when issuing the challenged decision, the focus was mainly on the verbal element, which was incorrectly assessed as a marketing slogan. Consequently, the Office failed to take into account important circumstances that should have n considered during the analysis of the application.

The Court of the European Union agrees with EUIPO

In examining the case, the Court of the European Union emphasized that EUIPO correctly assessed the application, as the Office’s task is to examine – not the business concept – but to verify and assess the distinctive character of the marks applied for in relation to the goods and services for which they are intended. Furthermore, it is important to consider how the trademarks will be perceived by potential consumers, which in this case will be interpreted as advertising slogans. Consequently, EUIPO did not have to examine the disputed marks in relation to other marks belonging to the Polish company.

As a result, the Court fully agreed with the findings of EUIPO and, in its judgment of September 14, 2022, dismissed the appeal (case numbers T-367/21 and T-432/21).

Table of contents:

The EUIPO’s task is to examine – not the business concept – but to verify and assess the distinctive character of the marks applied for, in relation to the goods and services for which they are intended.

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