EU General Court ruled that the name of world-famous Colombian drug trafficker Pablo Escobar cannot be deferred as a trademark.
The General Court, headquartered in Luxembourg, within the structure of the European Court of Justice, the EU's highest court, announced the decision in the case regarding the registration of the name of Colombian crime syndicate ringleader Pablo Escobar as a trademark.
The Court ruled that the name Pablo Escobar is associated by the public with drug trafficking and narco-terrorism and therefore cannot be registered as a trademark in the EU.
Escobar Inc, founded in Puerto Rico, had filed an application with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in 2021 for the use of the name Pablo Escobar on various products and services.
The EUIPO rejected the registration application on the grounds that the brand name was contrary to public order and accepted moral principles. Escobar Inc initiated legal proceedings against this decision.
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