Jaguar Land Rover fails in Defender shape trademark appeal
The English High Court has blocked Jaguar Land Rover from registering the shape of its Defender 4x4 as a trademark, clearing the way for chemicals company Ineos to launch its own competing vehicle.
In a ruling issued Monday, August 3, High Court judge Melissa Clarke affirmed the decision of the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) to refuse registration for two Jaguar shape marks.
The trademark applications were opposed by an affiliate of Ineos, owned by UK billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, which is looking to manufacture its own 4x4 vehicle, the Grenadier.
Jaguar appealed to the High Court, which this week held that the shape of the Defender did not qualify for trademark protection.
Clarke ruled that the shape of the Defender is not distinctive enough to act as a trademark and indicate Jaguar as the company behind the vehicle.
In her decision, Clarke referenced other cases in which trademark protection was denied for the shape of the London taxi and the Kit-Kat chocolate bar.
The Court of Justice of the European Union has also ruled that the shape of the Rubik’s Cube is not a trademark.
“Shape marks are notoriously difficult to register,” said Dennis Lee, partner at BDB Pitmans.
“This has not deterred major brand owners from pursuing these non-traditional trademark rights in order to strengthen their protection, but ultimately they have at their disposal other forms of IP rights to protect an overall shape, be it iconic vehicles, chocolate bars or puzzle toys,” Lee added.
Jaguar argued that the IPO hearing officer had “prejudged” the issue of whether the Defender shape was distinctive or not, and approached survey evidence on the issue with prejudice.
But Clarke rejected this, writing: “Rather it seems to me it shows the hearing officer carefully and fairly assessed the survey evidence in a way which discloses no error of principle.”
Ineos plans to develop the Grenadier in partnership with BMW. The company was at the heart of a public controversy last month when it confirmed it was considering manufacturing the vehicle in France, despite commitments to build it in Wales.
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