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ARTICLE · 23 OCTOBER 2025

No BUTTERFLY In BTFY

Lewis Silkin
Lewis Silkin
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Lewis Silkin

Lewis Silkin

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It is becoming increasingly popular for brands to omit letters, commonly, but not always, vowels, from trade marks with the likes of Nike registering 'snkrs' and Burberry registering 'BRBY'.

United KingdomIntellectual Property
Laura Nend
Laura Nend
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It is becoming increasingly popular for brands to omit letters, commonly, but not always, vowels, from trade marks with the likes of Nike registering 'snkrs' and Burberry registering 'BRBY'. However, the case below highlights that, despite this market trend, earlier right holders of full-length words may not necessarily be able to oppose applications for shortened versions of their marks and it is likely earlier rights holders will need to provide sufficient evidence of consumer awareness.

The General Court has issued a decision rejecting an appeal against the First Board of Appeal's (the "BoA") decision to reject an opposition to EU designation of IR No. 1566912 for the mark BTFY.

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