Trade name Law

2025

IPPT20250710, CJEU, Purefun v Doggy
The Trade Mark Directive does not seek to harmonise at EU Level the national laws relating to trade names, a category to which a company name may belong: in the absence of harmonisation, the protection of trade names is a matter for national law. The Trade Mark Directive and the free movement of goods do not preclude a national system which provides, that the exclusive right conferred by a company name allows its proprietor to prohibit a third party from using an identical or similar sign, as a trade name or as a domain name, for goods or services which are identical or similar to those falling within the scope of activities for which its company name is registered, and, do not preclude that the failure to use that company name may, under certain conditions, lead to the revocation of that exclusive right and that the proprietor is required to describe and limit the nature of the activities falling within its object with sufficient precision to enable third parties to be effectively informed of them.

2004

IPPT20041116, ECJ, Anheuser Bush

Agreement establishing the World Trade Organisation – Articles 2(1), 16(1) and 70 of the TRIPs Agreement – Trade marks – Scope of the proprietor's exclusive right to the trade mark – Alleged use of the sign as a trade name

2002

IPPT20021121, ECJ, Robelco v Robeco

A Member State may, if it sees fit, and subject to such conditions as it may determine, protect a trade mark against use of a sign other than for the purposes of distinguishing goods or services, where use of that sign without due cause takes unfair advantage of, or is detrimental to, the distinctive character or the repute of the trade mark.

1976

IPPT19766022, ECJ, Terrapin v Terranova
Free movement of goods: Import of products of an undertaking in another member state can be prohibited by virtue of a right to a trademark and a right to a commercial name, provided that there are no agreements restricting competition and no legal or economic ties between the undertakings exist.