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T-Mobile is battling an American startup over a color

T-Mobile is battling an American startup over a color

It has long n known that well-known companies protect their rights to various types of markings, such as the appearance of a store or a color. It is also a fact that some brands are associated with a specific color, as is the case with the pink T-Mobile. Unfortunately, this color has become the cause of a dispute between the telecommunications giant and a startup from the USA. T-Mobile, or rather the corporation controlling the trademark, i.e. Deutsche Telekom, believes that the so-called magenta color (a shade of pink) can only be used by them. They are somewhat right in this, as at one time the corporation, in addition to the logo and verbal markings, also registered the magenta color as a trademark.

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Can the color "magenta" be trademarked?

The effects of obtaining trademark protection for a color can be seen in a dispute involving the insurance startup Lemonade. The American company wanted to prepare and launch a comprehensive advertising campaign in Germany, using pink as one of its key colors. These actions did not go unnoticed by Deutsche Telekom, which sent a request to the startup to stop using pink in its campaigns.

Despite the request, Lemonade took no action, which ultimately led to the telecommunications company filing a lawsuit in a German court, seeking an injunction against the American company. Interestingly, the German court immediately sided with the owner of T-Mobile and ordered Lemonade to cease all advertising activities using the disputed pink color.

Did the German court side with the German company? Coincidence?

Daniel Schreiber, co-founder and CEO of the startup, commented on this decision, stating that the German company’s actions and demands constitute intimidation, as they did not invent the disputed shade of pink. Furthermore, a closer analysis of the matter reveals that Lemonade did indeed use pink in its advertising campaigns, but it was a completely different shade than the one protected by T-Mobile.

As a result, the American company filed a request with the European Union Intellectual Property Office to invalidate the German company’s protective right to the magenta shade of pink. Lemonade also launched an interesting initiative on social media, using the hashtag #FreeThePink, which literally means “free the pink.” The outcome of this case may be interesting, but we will have to wait for the final rulings.

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Time will tell who was right.

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