IFICC 1003/B/2016

This case involved whether a trademark involving a single letter was sufficiently unique in its design to be registered.

Background

A company filed a case before the First Instance Commercial Court against the Industry and Minerals Minister and Registrar of Trademarks claiming that the Registrar had issued a decision refusing to register a trademark (M) for a specific type of products on the grounds that there were many products that have (M) in their names. The company claimed that the decision violated the law and was unfair because its trademark had a unique design and colour which made it innovative and different from other trademarks. The company added that this trademark was registered in a number of other countries. The company requested the cancellation of the decision and the registration of the trademark for the specific type of product.