Bang & Olufsen wins trade mark case in EU court
COPENHAGEN (Thomson Financial) - Danish home electronics maker Bang & Olufsen AS has won a case in the European Court of First Instance regarding the trade mark protection of its loudspeaker Beolab 8000.
The EU's trademark and designs registry (OHIM) previously ruled that the loudspeaker was not distinctive enough to constitute a trademark in itself, but the Court annulled the decision, adhering to Bang & Olufsen's arguments.
The loudspeaker, which is shaped like a high, pencil-like cone, is 'truly specific' and can thus be registered as a trade mark, the court said in its ruling earlier today.
RB Boersen news agency said, citing Bang & Olufsen's chief legal officer Kim Bo Hansen, that the decision is important as it will make it easier for the group to protect its designs against piracy.
Bang & Olufsen will now decide on whether to register other products as trade marks, Hansen said.
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