Victory For Red Bull As Trademark Office Refuses Application For Blue And Grey Colour Mark

• Red Bull opposed an application for a colour combination mark for goods in Class 32 based on earlier colour/device marks for identical goods
• The examiner found, among other things, that there was no risk that the application would take unfair advantage of, or be detrimental to, the distinctiveness or well-known status of Red Bull's marks
• The board disagreed, finding that the application was confusingly similar to Red Bull's marks and might mislead consumers as to the source of the goods

The Re-examination and Evaluation Board of the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TURKPATENT) has found that an application for a colour mark was confusingly similar to Red Bull's colour/device trademarks and, therefore, could not be registered for goods in Class 32.