Industrial Property Law

The Ordinance of 13 November 2019 transposing the Trademark Package added three new grounds for absolute invalidity to the list in Article L. 711-2 of the Intellectual Property Code:
- invalidity of a trademark that consists of the name of an earlier plant variety registered under European Union law or international agreements to which France or the EU are party, or reproduces it in its essential  …

New grounds for invalidity under Ordinance of 13 November 2019

The Ordinance of 13 November 2019 transposing the Trademark Package added three new grounds for absolute invalidity to the list in Article L. 711-2 of the Intellectual Property Code:

- invalidity of a trademark that consists of the name of an earlier plant variety registered under European Union law or international agreements to which France or the EU are party, or reproduces it in its essential elements (Art. L. 711-2, 10° IP Code), 

- invalidity of a trademark that has been filed in bad faith ( Art. L. 711-2, 11° IP Code), 

- invalidity of a trademark excluded from registration by national, European or international legislation on the protection of appellations of origin and geographical indications, traditional expressions for wines and traditional specialties guaranteed ( Art. L. 711-2, 9° IP Code). The protection of appellations of origin, which is a matter of public policy 1, prevents the registration of a trademark that includes a place name protected by the legislation on appellations of origin, if the products it covers cannot benefit from it . An appellation of origin is defined in Article L. 431-1 of the Consumer Code as the name of a country, region or locality, which serves to designate a product originating therein, the quality or characteristics of which are due to the geographical environment, including natural and human factors. Prior to the Ordinance of 13 November 2019, actions for invalidity of a mark that is contrary to appellations of origin legislation were generally based on Article L. 711-3, b) (now Art. L. 711-2, 7°) of the Intellectual Property Code, providing for the invalidity of marks that are contrary to public policy, morality, or whose use is legally prohibited. The trademarks “Domaine de la Romanée-Conti” and “Romanée-Conti”, which used the appellation “Romanée-Conti” , “Cru du fort médoc”, which could not claim the appellation “Médoc”  , and “Bain de Champagne” and “Royal Bain de Champagne”, which used the appellation “Champagne” , without any right, were cancelled on this basis. The mark “Aosta excellence” was refused registration because of the existence of the two protected designations of origin “Valle d'Aosta jambon de Bosses” and “Valle d'Aosta lard d'Arnad” . Several judgments have held that the public policy nature of the provisions on appellations of origin prohibits any private appropriation, regardless of the time at which the trademark incorporating the appellation was registered, even if the trademark in question was registered before the appellation of origin was recognized . The scope of this remedy remains unclear given that it contravenes the 2012 European regulation on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs  which provides that a trademark filed, registered or acquired by use before the date of filing of the application for protection relating to the designation of origin may continue to be used (Art. 14(2)).

Cass. com. 9 November 1981, LawLex202100005334JBJ; Cass. com. 1 December 1987, LawLex202100005341JBJ; CA Paris, 12 September 2001, LawLex202100005714JBJ.

Cass. com, 9 November 1981, LawLex202100005334JBJ; Cass. com, 1 December 1987, LawLex202100005341JBJ; CA Paris, 12 September 2001, LawLex202100005714JBJ.

Cass. com, 1 December 1987, LawLex202100005341JBJ.

Cass. com. 9 November 1981, LawLex202100005334JBJ.

CA Paris, 12 September 2001, LawLex202100005714JBJ.

Cass. com, 31 January 2006, LawLex202100003013JBJ.

Cass. com, 1 December 1987, LawLex202100005341JBJ; CA Paris, 12 September 2001, LawLex202100005714JBJ.

Regulation No 1151/2012 of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs, OJ L 343.

Industrial Property Law

56. New grounds for invalidity under Ordinance of 13 November 2019

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56. New grounds for invalidity under Ordinance of 13 November 2019

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Les décisions de justice citées dans ce paragraphe :

Les notions juridiques connexes

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