Judges block catering company’s attempt to trademark ‘La Mafia’

Posted by: admin , March 16, 2018

Here’s a pizza offer you can’t refuse…
Judges in the EU have denied a Spanish catering company’s request to register the name ‘La Mafia’ because it is against ‘European Values’ and likely to shock or offend Mafia victims.
The company applied for the EU-wide trademark in 2006, but it was revoked by the European Union Intellectual Property Office in 2015 after the Italian government argued that it was “contrary to public policy and to accepted principles of morality”, as it cheapened the seriousness of the Mafia and glamorised the criminal organisation.
The trademark contained white on black (Godfather-style) text, a red rose and the motto “take a seat at the table”.
In its appeal, the company claimed it was referencing the Godfather movie, rather than the criminal organisation, but this was not accepted by the Luxembourg judges, who said the trademark might “convey a globally positive image of the Mafia’s activities”, and that La Cosa Nostra’s activities breached the values upon which the EU was founded.