OHIM says ‘Je suis Charlie’ applications unlikely to pass
The office that administers trademark applications in the EU has said that it would likely object to any attempts to trademark ‘Je suis Charlie’.
Despite the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market’s (OHIM) policy of not commenting on trademark applications, it issued a statement on possible ‘Je suis Charlie’ applications due to “overriding public interest”.
In the statement, published on January 16, OHIM said it is unlikely that an application for a Community trademark, which provides protection across Europe, would be accepted because it would be “contrary to public policy or to accepted principles of morality” under article 7 (1) (f).
OHIM also cite article 7 (1) (b), which bans applications “devoid of distinctive character”.
The phrase ‘Je suis Charlie’ emerged in the aftermath of the recent shootings at the office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hedbo, where 12 people were killed by gunmen. The phrase was used widely online and at demonstrations in support of the victims.
Since the event, on January 7, there have been numerous applications filed, in France, the US, Australia and the Benelux region, which covers Belgium, France and the Netherlands, to trademark the phrase. None has been filed at OHIM yet, however.
Last week, France’s IP office, the National Institute of Industrial Property, rejected 50 ‘Je suis Charlie’ trademark applications.
