The question, whether two stripes on the side of a shoe have a distinctive character or can lead to the invalidity of a trademark was subjected in the case of 4 May 2022. But how did the European General Court (EGC) decide the case and based on which criteria?
 

I. Background of the case

On 6 November 2002, Munich, SL filed an application for a European figurative mark (EUTM Nr. 002923852) with EUIPO (see picture above). However, this led to an application for declaration of the invalidity of the trademark by Deichmann SE. Deichmann SE claimed that the application does not comply with Article 7 (1) (b) of the EU Trademark Regulation (EUTMR), which forbids the registration of trademarks which are devoid of any distinctive character. After the appeal was rejected by the EUIPO, Deichmann filed an appeal against the decision of the Cancellation Division, which was also without success. According to the Cancellation Division, the intervener had convincingly demonstrated, “that many undertakings used relatively simple patterns on the side of the shoe to indicate the commercial origin of shoes”.

II. Judgement of the European General Court (Sixth Chamber)

Deichmann filed an appeal against the decision at the EGC and claimed, that the EUIPO was incorrect with assuming that the average consumer perceives simple patterns on the side of sports shoes as inherently distinctive signs. However, the EGC found that the absolute ground for refusal must be interpreted with respect to the general interest underlying it. In this case, the general interest relies on the essential function of a trademark: To guarantee the identity of the origin of the marked product to the consumer by enabling him or her to differentiate them from other products of another origin. In addition, there are two relevant criteria to consider, when deciding whether a trademark is distinctive or not:

1. The goods or services

2. The relevant public´s perception of the mark (meaning average consumers being well informed and reasonably observant and circumspect of the category of the goods and services)

Furthermore, the appellant must present the facts which cause the validity. In this case, the appellant submitted evidence that several registered designs with similar stripes on the side of sports shoes exist. According to the EGC, this does not lead to the conclusion of an actual use on the market and is therefore no evidence capable of proving that the relevant public perceives the contested mark as not having distinctive character.

III. Conclusion

Therefore, the EGC dismissed the action with the judgement of 4 May 2022. As a result, two stripes on the side of a shoe are distinctive which means that the mark can stay registered.

To read the whole case, please click here.

Source: GPTO Website – picture of logo of the GPTO and the Imperial Patent Office

As you may know, the headquarter of the German Patent and Trademark Office (GPTO) is located in Munich, Germany. However, this has only been the case since 1949. The history of the GPTO already began in 1877 in Berlin.

I. The Office

The very first German patent authority was located in Berlin and started operating under the name “Imperial Patent Office” in 1877. Already one day later, when the ceremonial opening had not even taken place yet, the first German patent was granted for a “production process for a red ultramarine color”, which was invented by Johann Zeltner of the “Nürnberger Ultramarin-Fabrik”. Until 1894, it was only possible to apply for figurative marks at the competent local courts. However, after the act on the Protection of Trademarks of 1894, the GPTO received responsibility for trademarks. The Act also led to the possibility to apply for words, letters, numbers, colors, holograms, multimedia signs and sounds. The first word mark application was in 1894 by the metal goods entrepreneur Carl Holty and was the trademark “Perkeo”, which was registered for lamps and lamp parts. Because of the Second World War, the GPTO had to cease its business, until 1949, when the German Patent Office was set up in Munich. In 1998, the office ´s name was turned into “German Patent and Trade Mark Office” to underline the increasing significance of trademarks as a part of the work of the GPTO. Today, there are three offices: the headquarter in Munich and the sub-offices in Jena and Berlin.

II. Further interesting facts about the GPTO

• The GPTO is the largest national IP office in Europe and the fifth largest national patent office in the world
• The majority of the staff is located in Munich with approximately 2,200 employees
• In 2021, there were 58,568 patent applications at the GPTO
• There are more than 845,000 registered trademarks and 290,000 registered designs, which are managed at the sub-office in Jena
• Since 2013, there is the possibility of filing a trademark application online, which still causes an ongoing boom of trademark applications

IV. Outlook

In 2027, the GPTO will celebrate its 150^th birthday, which is a huge milestone in the history of the GPTO.

To read more details, please click here.

Every year on the 26 April, we celebrate the World Intellectual Property Day to draw attention to the important role of intellectual property rights (IP). This year, the official theme is “IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future” and aims to honor the innovations and creativity led precisely by young people!

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Source: WIPO - official picture of this year´s theme 

I. History of the World Intellectual Property Day

The World Intellectual Property Day (WIPD) has already a long history as it has been celebrated for over 22 years! However, the date of WIPD has not been chosen randomly – as the 26 April is the day on which the WIPO Convention came into force in 1970. And later in 2000, the WIPO´s member states set this very day as a day designated to bring attention to intellectual property rights and increase the general understanding about them.

Since then, on 26 April each year, we honor the contribution of IP rights in fostering technological and artistic innovations as well as their role in our everyday lives and businesses.

II. About this year´s theme

The theme of 2022 “IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future” is focused on the work of young innovators. Across the globe, young people are stimulating the innovation by using their energy and curiosity to navigate us to a better future. So, in order to give these young creators a platform to raise awareness about their contributions, the WIPO has started a campaign to promote and celebrate their work on its website. There you can now learn about all the innovative and aspiring projects focused on improvement in the field of environment, health, communications, or research.

The list of the nominees is very diverse. To name just a few – you can for example learn about a bioengineer from Spain who created the first prosthetic arm made from LEGO, a French Start-Up turning CO2 into a resource or a young CEO of a company providing a mobile app that connects patients with healthcare providers in Uganda.

You can read about all the projects of this year´s nominees here: https://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/2022/youth-gallery.html

III. Nominate young innovators yourself!

Now, you can also be an active part of the celebration by nominating someone that you think deserves the recognition! If you know some young innovators whose work is dedicated to creating a better future, do not hesitate to promote and praise their work by sharing their story with the world by sending an email to WordIPDay@wipo.int.

For more information about the World Intellectual Property Day of 2022, please visit WIPO´s official website: https://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/. Further, we would also like to thank WIPO for the possibility to use the great graphical toolkit which offices and law firms are allowed to use while promoting the WIPD.

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Liebe Mandanten, Gäste und Freunde!

Ergänzend zu Ihrer personalisierten Einladung wollten wir Ihnen zum Sommerempfang 2022 folgende Highlights mitteilen:

Es erwartet Sie ein Empfang in der MOTORWORLD München mit kulinarischen und automobilen Highlights! 

ZUSÄTZLICHE INFORMATIONEN

Führung durch die MOTORWORLD München
Wir haben für Sie zwei optionale 30-minütige Führungen durch die MOTORWORLD geplant:

    Von 18:30 bis 19:00 Uhr
    Von 19:30 bis 20:00 Uhr

Herr Dr. Hans-Jürgen Schraut wird am Eingang des Restaurants WACA auf Sie warten. Eine Voranmeldung ist nicht erforderlich.

Dresscode
Der Dresscode für den Abend ist Business Casual.

Datenschutz, Fotografieren
An dem Abend wird ein Fotograf vor Ort sein, der für uns den Abend digital festhalten wird. Sollten Sie NICHT auf den Fotos erscheinen wollen, können Sie dies einer unserer Mitarbeiterinnen am Abend kurz mündlich mitteilen. Wir werden dies später bei der Auswahl der Fotos entsprechend berücksichtigen.

Corona-Regelung
Es sind keine besonderen gesetzlichen Regelungen im Hinblick auf Maskenpflicht oder sonstige Beschränkungen zu beachten.
Um die Sicherheit für alle Teilnehmer zu erhöhen, bitten wir alle Teilnehmer, sich im Vorfeld freiwillig per Schnelltest (Selbsttest) zu testen. Es werden zusätzlich am Abend Schnelltests bereitgestellt, von denen Sie gerne noch kurzfristig Gebrauch machen können, falls ein Schnelltest (Selbsttest) im Vorfeld nicht möglich sein sollte. LexDellmeier Mitarbeiter werden alle aktuell getestet sein, um Ihnen die größtmögliche Sicherheit für Ihre Gesundheit zu bieten.

Parken
Es stehen vor Ort ausreichend Parkplätze zur Verfügung. Für die Ausfahrt liegen nach der Veranstaltung 50 Parktickets für Sie bereit, die Sie von den LexDellmeier Mitarbeitern auf Wunsch erhalten.

Geschenke (-ersatz): Spende für unsere ukrainischen Gäste

Wir freuen uns immer über kleine Aufmerksamkeiten und Geschenke… aber in diesem Jahr werden wir Geschenke (Sach- oder Geldspenden – Spendenbox steht am Empfang) an unsere beiden ukrainischen Gäste (Margerita, 19 Jahre, und Pavlo, 23 Jahre alt) weitergeben, die wir seit Ihrer Ankunft in München Anfang März 2022 mit Unterkunft, Sprachkursen und Behördengängen unterstützen.

Die Zeiten sind zum Teil belastend und es stehen auch noch schwierige Zeiten bevor. Wir blicken jedoch mit viel Optimismus in die Zukunft und freuen uns auf einen wunderbaren, sommerlauen Abend mit Ihnen!

Herzlichst

Alexandra Dellmeier,

F. Andrea Schreiber, Karolin Schech und

das gesamte LexDellmeier Team

The "déjà vu" feeling - nullity of an EU design (lamp)

In a recent case, the European General Court (EGC) had to deal with the invalidity of a lamp design and to assess whether it had individual character. It was also particularly interesting that the older design had already been declared invalid.

EU Design No. 2503680-0001

I. General facts about EU design protection

Designs are two- or three-dimensional appearances of a product or a part thereof, resulting from the features of the lines, contours, colors, shape, surface structure and/or materials of the product itself and/or its ornamentation. For EU-wide design protection, two requirements must be met: It must be “new” and have “individual character”. Individual character means that the resulting overall impression of the design must be different for the informed user from the impression of older and prior designs. Novelty means that no identical design may have been published in the EU before the filing date. Note: There is however a so-called 12-month grace-period with respect to EU (and also German) designs. Therefore, not absolute novelty is necessary.

II. Background of the Case

On 16 July 2014, the applicant, Davide Groppi Srl, filed the EU design application No. 2503680-0001 with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) as pictured above. The contested design was registered for the product 'lamps' in Locarno Class 26-05.

On 3 March 2017, the other party to the proceedings before the EUIPO Board of Appeal (BoA), Viabizzuno Srl, filed an application for a declaration of invalidity with the EUIPO for lack of individual character. It based its request on the earlier EU design No. 1294664-0010 (pictured below), which had in the meantime been declared invalid on 30 October 2018 due to lack of individual character. Both the Cancellation Division and the BoA, which was subsequently called upon, granted the application for a declaration of invalidity. Now the European General Court (EGC) had to deal with the case.

EU Design No. 1294664-0010

III. Decision of the EGC

First, the EGC clarified that it is irrelevant that the earlier EU design has been declared invalid in the meantime, since the legal prerequisite for the novelty of the design is not the validity of an earlier design but the disclosure of the design. Further, the EGC stated that the assessment of “individual character” of a Community (or EU) design essentially involves an examination in four steps (see judgment dated 13 June 2019, Visi/one/EUIPO - T-74/18, EU:T:2019:417).

Step 1: Determining the industry of the products in which the design is intended to be incorporated or to which it is intended to be applied

The applicant accused the BoA of equating two different products, namely table lamps and garden lamps. This was countered by the EGC. The registration of the challenged design refers to luminaires in general. No additional reference is apparent, so it cannot be determined that the lamp is intended to be used specifically for indoor or outdoor lighting purposes.

Step 2: Determination of the informed user of these products according to their intended purpose and, with reference to this informed user, the degree of knowledge of the state of the art and the degree of attention to similarities and differences when comparing the designs

The BoA also did not err in identifying the "informed user". The EGC noted that this term is not defined in Regulation No 6/2002. However, it must be understood as a concept which lies between that of the average consumer, similarly applicable in the trademark field, who is not expected to have any special knowledge and who generally does not make a direct comparison between the conflicting marks, and that of the expert with profound technical skills. In the present case, that person is rightly deemed to be the person who uses the lamps and is familiar with market offerings in that industry.

Step 3: Determination of the degree of freedom of the designer in the development of the design, the influence of which on the individual character is inversely proportional

The assessment of the BoA on the freedom of design was not objected to by the applicant. The EGC therefore only states in general terms that this is a factor which makes it possible to nuance the assessment of the individual character of the contested design, and not an independent factor which determines the extent to which two designs must differ from each other in order for one of them to have individual character.

Step 4: Comparing, as directly as possible, the overall impressions which the contested design and the earlier design made available to the public each evoke in the informed user

First, the BoA found that the designs at issue represented lamps consisting of the same three parts, which were visually almost identical. According to settled case law, the individual character of a design results from an overall impression of dissimilarity or lack of "déjà vu" from the point of view of the informed user. The differences in the base of the luminaires are not sufficient to create the overall different impression.

IV. Conclusion

In this decision, the EGC examined the individual character of a community (EU) design in a textbook manner. The novelty of the design was rejected on the basis of an interesting aspect – namely, it is not the validity of an older design that matters, but its disclosure.

For further information please read the full decision here.

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• Wann: 30. Juni 2022, 11:00-17:00 Uhr
• Anmeldeschluss: 23. Juni 2022, 18:00 Uhr
• Wo: Richard Pflaum Verlag, Lazarettstraße 4, 80636 München
• Semestergebühr: 395,00 € zzgl. 19% MwSt.
• Plätze: 40

KURZBESCHREIBUNG:

Haben Sie Ihre Marke rechtlich geschützt? Wissen Sie, wie hoch der Anteil Ihrer Marke an Ihrem Unternehmens-Wert ist? Dieses Seminar gibt Ihnen Antworten auf alle Ihre Fragen!

Gerichtet ist das Seminar an:

• Unternehmer und Geschäftsführer
• Start-ups sowie
• Leiter und Mitarbeiter von Rechts-, Marken- und IP-Abteilungen.

DETAILS:

Thema 1: Der rechtliche Schutz von Marken

Thema 2: Die Marke als Asset

Thema 3: Die Werterhaltung, Wertsteigerung und Verteidigung von Marken

ANMELDUNG: Eventbrite

WEITERE INFORMATIONEN: s. unseren detaillierten SEMINARFLYER hier: [[{"type":"media","fid":"5390","view_mode":"default","instance_fields":"override","link_text":"flyer_seminar_marken-recht_und_marken-wert.pdf"}]]

PROGRAMM DES SEMINARS:

Thema 1 - Der rechtliche Schutz von Marken

• Nationaler Schutz: München-Bayern-Deutschland: Marken, Designs, Firmen - und Namensrechte, Urheberrechte und ergänzender Leistungsschutz. Was ist wo, wann und wie geschützt?
• Going Global – internationale Anmeldestrategien: Warum sich eine individuelle Anmeldepraxis lohnt – strategisch und finanziell.
• Gerüstet für die Zukunft – aktuelle Entwicklungen

Thema 2 - Die Marke als Asset

• Nichts ist wertvoller als ein guter Name: Mehr als 50 Prozent des Unternehmens -Wertes entfällt auf die Marke.

• Anerkannte Bewertungsstandards: DIN -ISO, IDW und BDU haben Qualitätskriterien definiert.
• Markenbewertung als Prozess: Wer bewertet eine Marke und welche Kosten sind damit verbunden.
• Bewertung einer Marke - Praxisbeispiel: Welche Faktoren spielen bei der Bewertung eine Rolle.

Thema 3 - Die Werterhaltung, Wertsteigerung und Verteidigung von Marken

• Die Auswirkung von IP Management auf die Werthaltigkeit der Rechte: Effektive Portfoliopflege und Überwachung, Tools, Ausmaß, Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse
• Maßnahmen im Verletzungsfall: Handeln, aber wie und wann? – Erfolgreiche Strategien bei Schutzrechtsverletzungen im Markt, im Internet oder durch Markenanmeldungen Dritter.

ZIELGRUPPE:

Dieses Seminar richtet sich an alle Unternehmer, Geschäftsführer, Start-ups sowie Leiter und Mitarbeiter von Rechts-, Marken- und IP-Abteilungen

UNTERLAGEN: 

Die Unterlagen/Slides werden im Seminar ausgeteilt sowie den Teilnehmern im Nachgang per Email oder zum Download (per Link) gerne übermittelt.

TEILNAHMEBESTÄTIGUNG: 

Auf Wunsch stellen wir auch gerne eine Teilnahmebestätigung aus.

MODERATOREN

Alexandra Dellmeier

• Rechtsanwältin/Fachanwältin für Gewerblichen Rechtsschutz - Inhaberin der Kanzlei LexDellmeier – Intellectual Property Law Firm in München
• Berufserfahrung: Im Bereich Intellectual Property: über 24 Jahre - weitere Infos zur Person auf der Website

F. Andrea Schreiber, LL.M.

• Rechtsanwältin, Kanzlei LexDellmeier - Intellecutal Property Law Firm in München
• Berufserfahrung: Im Bereich Markenrecht: über 16 Jahre - weitere Infos zur Person auf der Website

Karolin Schech

• Rechtsanwältin, Kanzlei LexDellmeier - Intellecutal Property Law Firm in München
• Berufserfahrung: Im Bereich Markenrecht: über 17 Jahre - weitere Infos zur Person auf der Website

The oldest perfume manufacturer in the world and its battle for a statutory trademark protection

Source: GPTO website – picture of the company sign of  Johann Maria Farina from 1868  

„Johann Maria Farina gegenüber dem Jülichs-Platz GmbH” is one of the oldest German companies. For over 300 years the manufacturer produces Eau de Cologne. Furthermore, the company is known for leading the way to the first statutory trademark protection.

I. Background

In the 19^th century, Johann Maria Farina gegenüber dem Jülichs-Platz GmbH was the world’s leading company with respect to the parfume market. Very famous people like Napoleon, Mozart, Goethe, Schiller, Beethoven, Oscar Wild and Bill Clinton were buyers of the well-known Eau de Cologne. According to the company´s archive, Queen Victoria even bought 600 bottles of the famous perfume. Due to its popularity, Farina´s Eau de Cologne is still made according to the original recipe.

II. History of a statutory trademark protection

The popularity of course also had negative aspects. The perfume market was flooded with various competing products, which were established under similar names. One product even got more popular than the original product by Farina. Nowadays, many people think of the brand “4711” in terms of Eau de Cologne, although it was imitated by “Johann Maria Farina gegenüber dem Jülichs-Platz GmBH”.

As a result, the company fought over decades to get a statutory trademark protection, in order to stop the imitation of their products. In 1836, the company filed a relevant petition for the first time. Almost 40 years later, in 1875, the first statutory trademark protection became operative and the first trademark application was filed by “Johann Maria Farina gegenüber dem Jülichs-Platz”.

III. Conclusion

Therefore, Johann Maria Farina is not only special for being the oldest perfume company, but, also for leading the way and being a pioneer with respect to statutory trademark protection.

To read more details in German, please click here.

Just recently, in December 2021, the EU Directorate-General for Interal Policies published an extensive Study on "Cross Border Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights". 

This excellent and over 100 page study aims to provide both an overview of the current state-of-play as well as a set of policy recommendations with respect to cross-border enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the European Union (EU), with a particular emphasis on the enforcement of copyright and related rights in the online environment. The study utilises information drawn from a combination of legal texts, existing EU and Member States (MS) legislation, specialised literature and practical insights gathered from a range of legal experts and copyright stakeholders representing various cultural sectors, to evaluate currently available options for cross-border enforcement. 

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The content in a nutshell:

1. The Legal Framework for Cross-Border IPR Infringements in the EU

2. The Online Environment and Cross-Border IPR Infringements: The Challenge of Copyright and Related Rights

3. The Status Quo of Online Enforcement Options in the EU: Voluntary, Administrative and Judicial Measures

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

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LexDellmeier - 2021 Holiday Greetings from the whole IP team here in Munich, Germany.

"Santa Claus is coming to town" is the music you will hear, when you watch our Xmas video card and turn on the sound... but, do you also remember the lyrics of the first line of the song which is: "You better watch out, you better not cry"... REMEMBER, some color marks are regsitered by trademark owners... and even though #colormarks are not simple to apply and register for, you may be eligible, too! Different countries around the world have different rules... it may be worth looking into for you in 2022. In general, color mark protection is possible in Germany at the #gpto and at an EU level at the #euipo

It would be great to read, if color mark protection is possible in your country?! Comments and insights welcome! #LexDellmeier #trademarks

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