| |
FRIDAY, 3 AUGUST 2012
The sun doesn't always shine for BP
 BP p.l.c filed before the Polish Patent Office a request for the invalidation of the figurative trade mark R-218916 registered for goods and services in Class 4, 31 and 39 and owned by Albert Korman. BP claimed similarity to its figurative CTM no. 1916550, word-figurative CTM BP no. 4100335 and figurative CTM no. 4236279, that were registered with the earlier priority for goods and services in the same classes. BP noted that it uses a combination of green and yellow colors, especially green and yellow figurative element of the trending-like sun rays on a circular or semicircular shape, for the identification of its services. The Company argued that the goods and services of the trade mark at issue are the same or similar. BP also relied on the judgment of the Polish Court for the Community Trade Marks and Community Designs case file XII GWzt 15/08 in which the court found that the BP's trade mark is highly distinctive, which may result from both the lack of descriptive elements in the sign as well as with the reputation and goodwill, which the mark has among the buyers.
The Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw in its judgment 11 April 2012 case file VI SA/Wa 137/12 ruled that due to the fact that the Polish Patent Office correctly decided that there were no indications that the applied trade mark was identical or similar to a trademark for which a right of protection was already granted , therefore, it was pointless to assess the reputation of the previous sign. Since the PPO properly determined that the marks are not similar, any considerations about the use of another's reputation were not justified. The Court repeated that dissimilar signs cannot produce associations, so there can be no conscious imitation and profiting from someone else's reputation. The correct view is that the lack of similarity between the signs eliminates the need to examine the use of another's reputation, as the "precondition" of accepting the argument that the use of reputation has happened, is to determine the similarity between the signs, and the second condition is to establish the applicant's trade mark has the reputation. This judgment is not final yet.
Posted by: Tomasz Rychlicki @ 10.49
Tags: non-traditional trade marks, Polish Patent Office, reputed trade marks, similarity of goods, similarity of services, similarity of signs, trade mark invalidation, Voivodeship Administrative Court , |
|
0 comments: 
Subscribe in a reader