A bookseller from Türkiye’s Izmir secured a victory over a French luxurious home in a copyright battle to have the ability to name itself Hermes, the store’s lawyer stated on Tuesday, hailing an rare win in opposition to a significant model.
An Ankara court docket ruling partially voided a call by TurkPatent, Türkiye’s mental property authority, that prevented any model apart from Hermes Paris from utilizing the title Hermes.
“Hermes is a god in Greek mythology who belongs to the cultural heritage of humanity. He should not be owned by a company. This is an important decision in that sense,” the bookseller Ümit Nar, whose store is within the western metropolis of Izmir, advised Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The shopkeeper identified that the deity is intently linked to the traditional historical past of Smyrna – the traditional title for modern-day Izmir – on the Aegean coast, the place many Greek myths are set.
Hermes trend home didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The court docket has not but made its reasoning public, stated the bookseller’s lawyer, Hilmi Güllü, who added that the ruling was a “victory.”
“Multinational firms like Hermes have an aggressive trademark registration policy, beyond their own industries. This verdict paves the way for saying no to these practices,” Gülü stated.
The case stretches again to December 2021, when the Turkish retailer sought to register a trademark for his 15-year-old bookshop.
A consultant for the French firm initiated authorized proceedings in opposition to TurkPatent and took the case to court docket to ban the retailer from utilizing “Hermes” in its model title and any advertising and marketing supplies.
Hermes trend home emphasised the “similarity and risk of confusion” between the 2 names regardless of the totally different business sectors, arguing it’s also energetic in publishing via its journal.
“They would’ve been right if our sectors were similar, but that’s absolutely not the case,” stated Nar.
The e-book seller will nonetheless attraction the choice, as “the court has not ruled on the risk of confusion between the two brands in terms of audience and general impression,” the lawyer stated.
“I hope that this verdict will help set a precedent for cultural heritage and multinational firms,” Nar stated.
Source: www.dailysabah.com