COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EU / Intellectual property

Use of figurative signs evoking geographical area with which a protected designation of origin is associated may constitute an unlawful evocation of that designation

Brussels, 02/05/2019 (Agence Europe)

The judges of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled, in a judgement of Thursday 2 May in case C-614/17, that the use of figurative signs referring to a geographical area to which a protected designation of origin (PDO) is linked could constitute an unlawful evocation of it. 

A Spanish company markets cheeses not covered by the ‘queso manchego’ PDO, using labels with images and terms referring to the novel Don Quixote de La Mancha. This designation covers cheeses...