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European Union

EU General Court upholds EUIPO refusal of ‘NOT MILK’ trade mark: descriptive for plant-based beverages; figurative elements and colour scheme insufficient; general reasoning across goods upheld (T-320/23)

Published on: 14 May 2024

Published by a Law360 reporter
Legal News
Article summary

The EU's General Court decided on 8 May 2024 that The Not Co SpA could not obtain a trade mark for its line of nondairy beverages because it didn't take much mental effort for consumers to understand that 'not milk' meant that the drinks lacked dairy products.

The court explained that the English-speaking public would instantly and unambiguously take the sign as an informative statement about the drink’s composition and, echoing the board of appeal, concluded that the phrase 'not milk' is descriptive. NotCo had filed for registration in July 2021 covering vegetable drinks and milk substitutes. The mark’s wording appeared vertically, with 'not' in black lettering and 'milk' shown in a light blue shade...

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