The Hungarian Parliament passed Act LXVII of 2018 (the ‘Amending Act), which is bringing about the most fundamental changes to trademark law since Hungary’s accession to the EU. The amendments will enter into force as of 1 January 2019. In a historical contect, Act XI of 1997 on Trademarks and Geographical Indications established modern trademark…
The Supreme Court of Hungary (Kúria) ruled that the registration of a family name as trademark is unlawful upon the permission of one family member, where several family members are active on the same field. Furthermore, the Supreme Court gave guidance upon what conditions a family name may become a separate trade name, which is…
A Hungarian company distributed knives under the brands ‘BLAUMANN’ and ‘SWISS HUFEISEN’ in Germany and in other European countries including Hungary. The knives were manufactured in China and had no connection with Switzerland. On the handles of the knives, a cross with equal arms can be seen within a pentagonal shield with three curved sides…
‘Dormant trademarks’ are unused trademarks which remain on the register until the competent authority declares them revoked (this denomination comes from Verena von Bomhard’s article ‘Dormant Trademarks in the European Union – Swords of Damocles?’, The Trademark Reporter, Vol. 96 September-October, 2006 No. 5). Under current Hungarian rules these dormant trademarks can cause trouble if…
