Iceland Foods has said it is “disappointed” following the 15 December decision from the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which rejected its trademark appeal earlier this month.
The frozen foods retailer, which has now lost the ongoing legal battle with the country Iceland over its trademarked name, pointed out that it has never stopped third parties “from using the term Iceland to describe products or services” from the country of Iceland.
The long-running dispute saw the Icelandic government win a ruling in 2019 which invalidated the retailer’s initial claim, stating the move would stop the country’s businesses from describing their products as Icelandic.
Iceland Foods’ latest appeal against this decision has been rejected by the EUIPO Grand Board, which said that said that registering country names as trademarks had to be “approached with caution”.
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The EUIPO decision means the supermarket’s EU trademark registrations – which it has held since 2014 – will now be cancelled.
A spokesperson told Grocery Gazette the retailer was “disappointed” in the decision, adding that the decision, which remains open to appeal, “will not change [our] business name, operation or trading in any way”.
“Our business is family-owned and was named ‘Iceland’ Foods by the late Lady Walker. We have traded successfully under our name in the UK since 1970, and we will continue to do so,” the retailer continued.
“We have never stopped third parties from using the term Iceland to describe products or services from the country of Iceland.
“We had sincerely hoped that we would be able to avoid any legalities in this unnecessary dispute and reach an amicable agreement.
“Iceland Foods is proud of its legacy, serving customers who rely on us for affordable products, particularly in times when the cost of living is increasing at an alarming rate.”
It is unclear whether Iceland Foods will continue to appeal the decision.
