Frozen-grocery retailer Iceland has lost its years-long trademark battle with Iceland, the country, following a ruling by the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
As a result of the finding, Iceland Foods’ EU trademark registrations will be cancelled.
“The decisions can be appealed and do not prevent Iceland Foods from using the word Iceland as a trademark in the European Union, they potentially deal a blow to Iceland Foods’ ability to prevent others using Iceland as a brand in the European Union,” according to Lee Curtis, partner and chartered trademark attorney, quoted in the Retail Gazette.
The dispute started between the retailer and the Scandinavian country in 2014 when the supermarket was first granted an EU trademark registration.
Iceland, the country, had previously won a 2019 case that invalidated Iceland Foods EU trademark, arguing the supermarket’s name would deceive the general public on the origin of the goods in its stores.