Ukraine war
EU court: “Russian warship, go f**k yourself” not a trademark
Under the slogan, the Ukrainian border guard wanted to sell, among other things, surveillance devices and clothing. The EU court is now putting a stop to this.
According to a ruling by the EU Court (EuG), Ukraine’s border guards are not allowed to register the slogan “Russian warship, go f**k yourself” as a trademark. The judges in Luxembourg decided that the slogan was a political statement and thus dismissed a lawsuit by the State Border Guard Administration of Ukraine.
An employee of the Ukrainian border guard registered the slogan 2022 as an EU trademark at the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine. Among other things, surveillance devices, jewelry and clothing were to be sold under the brand. However, the EUIPO rejected the registration. The EU court has now confirmed this assessment with its ruling. The slogan is a “symbol of the Ukrainian fight against Russian aggression,” it said. However, the sentence does not allow consumers to draw conclusions about the origin of a product and therefore does not fulfill the essential characteristics of a brand.
Union trademarks are valid throughout the European Union and exist alongside national trademarks. The judgment can still be appealed to the highest European court, the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
dpa
Source: Stern
