Iceland Foods and Iceland return to court over the retailers trademark name
Frozen food retailer, Iceland is set to return to court with the country Iceland as it continues the battle over its trademark name.
The long-running dispute saw the supermarket granted its trademark name in 2014, following many attempts since it first applied to the EU for this in 2002.
However, in 2019 the country won a ruling from the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) which invalidated the exclusivity of the retailer’s EU trademark registration.
The Icelandic government claimed the trademark name would stop its businesses from labelling their products as Icelandic.
Speaking to the country’s national broadcaster RÚV, Icelandic Intellectual Property Office attorney, Margrét Hjálmarsdóttir said: “It would mean that Icelandic companies could possibly not use the word Iceland in their trademarks to designate the products they’re selling.”
According to The Metro, the case has been taken to the Grand Board of the EUIPO which consists of board members including EU Council officials.
Although it is thought the case is unlikely to be decided on until next year, once the decision has been made, the supermarket chain or the country can appeal this.
