Chanel Loses European Court Battle Over Huawei Logo
Fashion label Chanel has lost an EU court battle with Chinese technology firm Huawei over its famous logo.
Judges ruled in favour of Huawei, which had sought an EU-wide trademark for a logo it wanted to use, but the fashion house said it was too similar.
The EU General Court in Luxembourg ruled on Wednesday that the logos “share some similarities but their visual differences are significant”.
It found that Chanel’s logo had more rounded curves and thicker lines.
In 2017, the Chinese technology firm had applied for EU trademark protection for a logo it would use for computer hardware.
French firm Chanel opposed the bid, arguing the two vertical intertwining semi-circles were too similar to its protected logo, which it uses to sell make-up, perfumes, clothing, and accessories.
In 2019, the trademark office dismissed Chanel’s objection, saying there was no similarity and no likelihood of confusion in the mind of the public.
The French luxury house subsequently challenged the ruling at the Luxembourg-based General Court, which dismissed the appeal in its ruling on Wednesday.
“The figurative marks at issue are not similar. The marks must be compared as applied for and registered, without altering their orientation,” the tribunal of judges said.
The tribunal said the visual differences in the two logos were significant. It said:
In particular, Chanel’s marks have more rounded curves, thicker lines, and a horizontal orientation, whereas the orientation of the Huawei mark is vertical. Consequently, the General Court concludes that the marks are different.
The ruling can be appealed to the EU Court of Justice, Europe’s highest. The case is T-44/20 Chanel v EUIPO – Huawei Technologies.
Chanel declined to comment on the ruling.