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Issues Surrounding Registration of Colour Trade Marks

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Issues Surrounding Registration of Colour Trade Marks RGSL RESEARCH PAPERS NO. 9 Issues surrounding registration of colour trade marks JEKATERINA KUDRJAVCEVA 2012 Riga Graduate School of Law Established in 1998, the Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL) has emerged as a leading legal education and research institute in the Baltic region. RGSL offers numerous study programmes in the area of International and European Law at bachelor and master’s level and is in the process of establishing a doctoral programme. The School enjoys the support of important international donors and cooperates closely with the University of Latvia, which is the major shareholder. In addition to its growing resident faculty, RGSL also benefits from the cooperation with a large number of eminent scholars and practitioners based elsewhere in Europe an overseas. The School is located in the Art Nouveau district of Riga and hosts an outstanding law library. A primary objective of RGSL is to contribute to the development of Latvia and the wider region by educating new generations of motivated and highly skilled young scholars and professionals capable of facilitating the on-going process of European integration. Research and education in the area of international and European law are integral to the realisation of this objective. The present series of Research Papers documents the broad range of innovative scholarly work undertaken by RGSL academic staff, students, guest lecturers and visiting scholars. Editorial Board: George Ulrich (Prof., Ph.D) Frank Diedrich (Prof., Dr. iur. habil., MLE) Christopher Goddard (M.Ed.) Ligita Gjortlere (M.Sci.Soc.) About the author: Jekaterina Kudrjavceva (LL.M.) graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Sheffield, UK, in 2010 and obtained her LL.M in European and International law from the Riga Graduate School of Law in 2012. Her main areas of interest are intellectual property law and private international law. This is the publication of the author’s distinction-awarded Master’s thesis defended at the Riga Graduate School of Law in July, 2012. ISSN 1691-9254 © Jekaterina Kudrjavceva, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary ..................................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 4 1. Colour trade marks – European perspective ...................................................................................... 8 1.1. Legal definitions .............................................................................................................................. 8 1.2. Ways of protecting colour .............................................................................................................. 9 1.3. Historical development ................................................................................................................ 10 1.4. Changeable character of a colour per se ..................................................................................... 12 2. Issue of Registrability........................................................................................................................... 14 2.1. Conditions for registration of a trade mark .............................................................................. 14 2.2. Sign .................................................................................................................................................. 14 2.3. Graphic representation ................................................................................................................. 15 2.4. Distinguishing the goods ............................................................................................................. 19 2.4.1. Inherent distinctiveness ........................................................................................................ 23 2.4.2. Acquired distinctiveness....................................................................................................... 24 2.4.3. Application of Windsurfing Chiemsee evidence list ........................................................ 26 2.4.4. BP Amoco case ......................................................................................................................... 28 2.5. Issue of territoriality - Community colour marks .................................................................... 30 2.6. Other grounds for refusal ............................................................................................................ 32 2.6.1. Descriptive marks .................................................................................................................. 32 2.6.2. Generic marks ........................................................................................................................ 35 3. Issue of free competition ..................................................................................................................... 36 3.1. Rights over colour v. free competition ....................................................................................... 36 3.1.1. Concept of free competition ................................................................................................. 36 3.1.2. Colour trade marks in the light of free competition ......................................................... 37 3.1.3. Balancing colour marks and free competition: in favour of colour ................................ 38 3.1.4. Balancing colour marks and free competition: against colour ........................................ 39 3.2. Need for balance and clear approach ......................................................................................... 43 4. Situation in the United States ............................................................................................................. 46 4.1. Legal requirements and differences from the EU system ....................................................... 46 4.2. Red Sole Mark case ....................................................................................................................... 48 4.2.1. Fashion industry .................................................................................................................... 50 4.2.2. Support of Louboutin ............................................................................................................ 51 4.2.3. Possible litigation in the EU ................................................................................................. 52 4.3. Concluding observations ............................................................................................................. 55 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 56 Annex 1. Examples of registered colour trade marks ......................................................................... 59 Annex 2. Examples of rejected colour trade marks ............................................................................. 62 SUMMARY The subject matter of the present research paper is the acquisition of legal rights over a particular type of non-traditional trade marks, namely a colour mark. The main objective of the research was to determine general trends in treatment of colour marks and the scope of protection afforded to them both in the EU and the U.S. Bearing in mind all the implications brought by the special nature of colour, the paper analyses the procedure of registration and common problems faced by brand owners wishing to obtain protection for a colour. Colour is something so common and widespread that at first sight it is difficult to understand how traditional rules on registration of trade marks can be applied to it; moreover, how someone could be allowed to possess a colour as an object of intellectual property. Our life cannot be imagined without colours. The world, and especially the world of marketing and advertising to which trade marks belong, is full of colourful objects, goods, experiences and decorations. Nevertheless, debates as to whether colour can perform the function of a trade mark and be registered accordingly are now over. The majority of jurisdictions, including the EU, are taking for granted that despite its special nature, in limited circumstances abstract colour can become an independently registered trade mark. The legal provisions governing registration are the same for all types of mark. Still, in case of colour marks they are interpreted very restrictively, making registration an extremely difficult task to perform. While such a restrictive approach to registration is justified by the need to maintain sound operation of justice, it can be influenced by certain considerations that can limit the scope of protection of colours even further. These considerations involve the limited number of available colours and the need to protect free competition in the market. The law grants the proprietor of a registered trade mark exclusive rights to use it and exclude others from using it, which is clearly problematic in the case of colours. For this reason, the courts are not always willing to enforce the monopoly over a colour per se, because when protection and enforcement of non-traditional trademarks is an issue, it may be very difficult to determine the boundary between the owner’s right and hindering
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