On 16 December 2019, the Swedish Patent- and Market Court delivered a judgment on the registration of the company name GDL AB, reversing a long-standing practice of the Swedish Companies Registration Office (“Bolagsverket”) when it comes to the assessment of distinctiveness of company names. Why is the above relevant on a trademark blog one may…
On 22 July 2019, the Second Board of Appeal at EUIPO issued a decision partially invalidating the EUTM ‘MONOPOLY’. The reason for the invalidation was that the Board considered the EUTM proprietor to have been in bad faith when it filed the application for the EUTM insofar as it included goods and services already covered…
In a judgment of 27 February 2019, the Swedish Patent and Market Court of Appeal (PMÖD) stated that a registration of a trademark in black and white cannot in itself result in protection in relation to all colour combinations. This is a turnaround of the practice established in Sweden since the 1960’s. The PMÖD has, unlike the Patent and…
In a recent case from the Swedish Patent and Market Court, the court dismissed Dalecarlia Chocolates AB’s (Dalecarlia) infringement claim of their EU and Swedish 3D marks in relation to chocolate, candy and confectionery (class 30). The 3D marks, depicted below, are formed as a Dala horse – a traditional, wooden horse statue originating from…
On 1 January 2019, the amendments to the Swedish Trademark Act enter into force. In many aspects, the implementation is straightforward and what anyone familiar with EU trademark law would expect. This includes the removal of the requirement for graphical representation, the possibility for the applicant to require an opponent to prove use of an…
In February this year, the Swedish Patent and Market Court (“PMD”) ruled in favour of Volvo in a bad faith case regarding the mark “MADE BY SWEDEN” registered by Green Stapler. The mark Made by Sweden had been the centre of a campaign starring Swedish superstar football player Zlatan Ibrahimović and world-renowned Swedish artist Robyn…
In a case earlier this spring, the Swedish Patent and Market Court dismissed an infringement action based on the reputed mark SOFIERO in relation to beers against SOFIERO KAFFEROSTERI used for coffee. The court concluded that coffee beans and ground coffee are dissimilar to beer and that the relevant consumer is not likely to find…
On 17 May 2017, the Swedish Patent and Market Court (the “PMD”) decided a case whereby it held that Nestlé’s expansion of its cat food brand “PURINA felix” into Sweden infringed the reputed Swedish foodstuff trademark FELIX, and that the fact that PURINA felix was previously used and enjoyed recognition in another EU country did not…
In a recent case, the Swedish Supreme Court clarified the calculation of damages awarded to a defendant based on a claim of loss of profit due to a preliminary injunction in an unsuccessful infringement case. The court held that the claimant has a strict liability for such damages and that the defendant does not have…
The Swedish Patent and Market Court (the “PMD”) has, on appeal from the Swedish Patent- and Registration Office, invalidated the registration of a trademark containing, among others, the words “Taxi” and “Stockholm” because of the earlier mark “Taxi Stockholm”. By way of background it must be noted that the taxi services in Sweden is not…
