Category: Intellectual Property
Use it or lose it: Madrid Provincial Appellate Court confirms the partial revocation of the Spanish Olympic Committee’s trademarks for non-use
The Madrid Court confirms the partial revocation of several trademarks of the Spanish Olympic Committee due to non-use. The judgment underscores that neither reputation nor sector-specific protection can replace genuine use: without actual commercial use a trademark is lost. Panel 32 of the Madrid Provincial Appellate Court has confirmed, through six judgments dated October 29 […]
Roncato: When a coexistence agreement redefines the rules of a trademark conflict
The Spanish Supreme Court has brought to an end the trademark dispute between the two branches of the Italian Roncato family, a leading name in the luggage sector. The companies, Valigeria Roncato and Baulificio Italiano, will continue to use the surname “Roncato” in their respective trademarks, in accordance with the coexistence agreement signed in 1996. […]
“The show must go on”… but with a license: the scope of musical synchronization
The Provincial Court of Madrid, in its judgment of May 16, 2025, confirmed a highly relevant criterion for the audiovisual sector: what should be understood as the synchronization of a musical work in an audiovisual production and why this act requires the specific authorization of the rights holder. It all began in 2020, in the […]
EUIPO changes its approach: beer is not always similar to alcoholic beverages
Existing case law had long supported the similarity between beer in class 32 and alcoholic beverages in class 33. However, a recent shift in case law must now be taken into account when assessing oppositions against class 33 trademarks at EUIPO based on earlier marks covering beer, even though both categories consist of drinks containing […]
The Supreme Court judgment on the Mezquita de Córdoba clarifies the scope of trademark ius prohibendi against prior domain names
The recent ruling on the domain name “mezquitadecordoba.org” confirms a key idea for any business: a domain name – no matter how old – does not prevail over a registered trademark. The decision highlights the importance of having a solid strategy in place for protecting digital assets at a time when the online world carries […]
Keys to the Supreme Court judgment that recognizes the authorship by the Japanese artist Negishi, of artworks signed by the Spaniard De Felipe
Following the recent Supreme Court decision that recognizes Fumiko Negishi as co-author of 221 artworks signed by the Spanish artist Antonio de Felipe, we take a look at the judgment to analyze why the high court considered that Negishi’s personal execution of these works “gives rise to the embodiment of an original work eligible for […]