[Intl] F word Trademarked in Germany
Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 6:17 pm
The German liquor manufacturer EFAG Trade Mark Company had taken the case to the country's highest patent court after its attempts to get the name of "Ficken" schnapps registered with the German Patent and Trademark Office had failed. The patent office had steadfastly refused to register the naughty brandname as a trademark, arguing that it was socially offensive to sell goods of that name.
Following its legal victory, EFAG will now own the "Ficken" trademark for clothing, mineral water and fruit drinks, as well as alcoholic drinks.
EFAG's "Ficken" schnapps is not, however, the only German alcoholic drink with an expletive in its name. In March 2010, the European Union trademarks authority ruled that a German firm could register the brand name "Fxxxxxx Hell" for a new beer. In German, the name could refer to a type of beer from the Austrian village of Fxxxxxx, "Hell" being a German term for light ale.
Is such a thing controversial or permitted in Straya ?
Following its legal victory, EFAG will now own the "Ficken" trademark for clothing, mineral water and fruit drinks, as well as alcoholic drinks.
EFAG's "Ficken" schnapps is not, however, the only German alcoholic drink with an expletive in its name. In March 2010, the European Union trademarks authority ruled that a German firm could register the brand name "Fxxxxxx Hell" for a new beer. In German, the name could refer to a type of beer from the Austrian village of Fxxxxxx, "Hell" being a German term for light ale.
Is such a thing controversial or permitted in Straya ?