{"id":14214,"date":"2026-05-28T15:03:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T13:03:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/registrare-marchio.com\/?p=14214"},"modified":"2026-05-28T15:03:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T13:03:34","slug":"figurative-trademarks-are-not-registered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/registrare-marchio.com\/en\/figurative-trademarks-are-not-registered\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Some Figurative Trademarks Are Not Registered: Descriptiveness and Lack of Distinctive Character"},"content":{"rendered":"

Also a trademark consisting of an image<\/strong> may be considered descriptive<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Esempi<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Specifically, this occurs when the trademark consists of an image that is descriptive of the covered goods (or services) or of one of their characteristics<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Figurative trademark may also be considered devoid of distinctiveness<\/strong> when it consists of a simple geometric figure, lacking any original elements, or when is it represented only by a color and its distinctiveness is not demonstrated through use.<\/p>\n

Some examples help us to better understand the scope of prohibition:<\/p>\n

\"esempioT-385\/08, 8-07.2010: Refused<\/strong> for goods in classes 18 e 31 (pet food and drinks)<\/em>. The Court noted that, being included in class 18 also goods specially produced for dogs, such as dog leads, dog collars and other dog accessories \u2013 the portrayal of a dog clearly describes these products<\/strong>. Same conclusion for the goods in class 31.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"esempioEU Trade Mark Application 00047829 refused<\/strong> as considered by EUIPO a simple geometric image, made with only a colour.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"esempioEU Trade Mark Application 00052035 refused because it consists exclusively of one colour.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"esempio<\/p>\n

EU Trade Mark Application 000152314 refused because it consists exclusively of one colour.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"esempioT-335\/15, 29.09.2016: Refused<\/strong> for goods in class 5 (nutritional supplements)<\/em>, 25 (clothing, footwear)<\/em> and for services in class 35 (on-line retail store services featuring nutritional supplements, health and diet-related products, clothing and footwear)<\/em>. It was considered that the silhouette of a bodybuilder shows a sufficiently direct and specific relationship to the goods and services covered by the application for registration.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"esempioEU Trade Mark Application 000251405 for \u201c<\/strong>skates<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> in class 28; refused<\/strong> because the sign has been considered not fanciful enough to allow the consumer to recognize the origin of the goods<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"esempioEU Trade Mark Application 000573121 for goods in class 18 (leather and imitation of leather, and goods made of these materials and not included in other classes; animal skins, hides; trunks and travelling bags; umbrellas, parasols and walking sticks; whips, harness and saddlery)<\/em> and 25 (clothing, footwear, headgear)<\/em>: Refused<\/strong> as it was considered to represent a constituent element (fabric, weft or insert) of the claimed products and that it did not have any characterising elements capable of differentiating the product from those of the same type on the market<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"esempioEU Trade Mark Application 000098913 in class 39 for \u201ccar parking with split payment time\u201d<\/em>. Refused<\/strong> as it was considered that<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cthe applied-for trademark, consisting of a blue drawing of part of a hand holding a coin for insertion into a slot\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

indicates a characteristic of the service being applied for, namely, a payment plan service.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"esempioEU Trade Mark Application 000724021 in class 31 for \u201cfresh vegetables and fruits\u201d<\/em>. Refused<\/strong> as<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cthe figurative mark does not have any special features which could render it distinctive and is thought unlikely that the public would regard this picture as a trademark which would distinguish \u201cfresh fruit and vegetables\u201d of the applicant from those of another trader\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"esempio<\/p>\n

EU Trade Mark Application n. 002459055 in class 8 for \u00a0hand-operated tools, razors, cutlery, especially forks, spoons, and knives (whether or not made of or plated with precious metal). Refused<\/strong> as considered<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201crepresentation of a very common ornamental motif which does not have any characterising elements which sufficiently differentiate the claimed product from those of the same type found on the market\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"esempioEU Trade Mark Application n. 019211527 in classes 9 (computer game software, downloadable; downloadable software in the nature of a mobile application for playing games\u2026virtual reality game software..)<\/em> and 41 (game services provide online from a computer network; providing online computer games featuring virtual worlds in which users can interact for entertainment purposes\u2026)<\/em>.
\nRefused<\/strong> as considered descriptive for the following reasons:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sign is a symbolic portrayal of a common game feature, depicting a player facing two options represented as numerical choices \u201c+\u201d, \u201c-\u201c, \u201cx\u201d, o \u201c\u00f7\u201d symbols in contrasting coloured panels. This type of icons commonly used in mobile and video games to indicate choices that affect scoring, progression or rewards. The goods and services for which the protection is sought are directly related to the gaming sector. The sign will be immediately perceived by the relevant public as a functional or decorative element indicating gameplay options, rather than as an indicator of commercial origin\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"esempioEU Trade Mark Application n. 019197287 for \u201cedible pet treats\u201d<\/em> in class 31.
\nApplication refused as it was stated that representations of dogs are frequently used in relation to pet foodstuffs and that in this case the sign has a clear descriptive meaning<\/strong> (describes that edible pet treats are intended for dogs) and is also devoid of any distinctive character.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even a trademark consisting of an image may be considered descriptive and therefore may not be registrable. Here are some examples.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14200,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[106,98],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-law-and-trademark","category-distinctive-character-of-a-trademark"],"yoast_head":"\nfigurative trademarks not registered due to lack of distinctive character<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Even a trademark consisting of an image may be considered descriptive and therefore may not be registrable. Here are some examples.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/registrare-marchio.com\/en\/figurative-trademarks-are-not-registered\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"figurative trademarks not registered due to lack of distinctive character\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Even a trademark consisting of an image may be considered descriptive and therefore may not be registrable. Here are some examples.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/registrare-marchio.com\/en\/figurative-trademarks-are-not-registered\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Registrare Marchio\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/registraremarchio\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-28T13:03:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/registrare-marchio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img-art-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"465\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"290\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Redazione\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Redazione\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/registrare-marchio.com\\\/en\\\/figurative-trademarks-are-not-registered\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/registrare-marchio.com\\\/en\\\/figurative-trademarks-are-not-registered\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Redazione\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/registrare-marchio.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4b7e1ee3941bcf28724d6ae2e6f5abb4\"},\"headline\":\"Why Some Figurative Trademarks Are Not Registered: Descriptiveness and Lack of Distinctive Character\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T13:03:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/registrare-marchio.com\\\/en\\\/figurative-trademarks-are-not-registered\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":758,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/registrare-marchio.com\\\/en\\\/figurative-trademarks-are-not-registered\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/registrare-marchio.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/img-art-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"CASE LAW AND TRADEMARK\",\"DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER OF A TRADEMARK\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/registrare-marchio.com\\\/en\\\/figurative-trademarks-are-not-registered\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/registrare-marchio.com\\\/en\\\/figurative-trademarks-are-not-registered\\\/\",\"name\":\"figurative trademarks not registered due to lack of distinctive character\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/registrare-marchio.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/registrare-marchio.com\\\/en\\\/figurative-trademarks-are-not-registered\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/registrare-marchio.com\\\/en\\\/figurative-trademarks-are-not-registered\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/registrare-marchio.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/img-art-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T13:03:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/registrare-marchio.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4b7e1ee3941bcf28724d6ae2e6f5abb4\"},\"description\":\"Even a trademark consisting of an image may be considered descriptive and therefore may not be registrable. 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