English 
Italiano A logo with a number (preferably old) usually creates a sense of security and make us think that if that product has been on the market for so many years, it is clearly a good product.
In this sense, the number can be an important part of the brand’s message, as it prompts the following reaction: it’s been around for so many years, therefore it’s valid.
It is therefore understandable how the information becomes misleading if the number does not have any real connection to the history of the product or of the parent company, as the year of brand creation or the company’s year of establishment can be perceived by the public as guarantee of quality.
In this regard, Court of Justice (26/03/2026, C-412/24) stated as follows:
“The inclusion, in a trade mark, of a number which is perceived by the relevant public as the year of establishment of a business may in certain cases evoke particular know-how, which is seen as a guarantee of the quality of the product covered by that mark and contributed to bestowing a prestigious image on it” (par.29)
And that:
“Where a trade mark includes a number which is likely to be perceived by the relevant public as indicating the year of establishment of a business and evokes, because that year is in the distant past, long-standing know-how bestowing a perceived guarantee of quality and a prestigious image on the goods for which the mark is registered, even though no such long-standing know-how actually exists, it may be inferred that that mark is of such a nature as to deceive the public, within the meaning of that provision”
It is for the national Court to assess, in the light of the circumstances of the case, whether the fictional number mentioned in the mark is perceived by the relevant public as the year of establishment of a company and evokes a special know-how, with possible deception of the public.
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