The EU General Court has ruled against Ukraine's attempt to register the trademark "Russian warship, go f*** yourself" (in both Russian and English) as a trademark within the European Union.
This was announced by the court's press service.
"The phrase 'РУССКИЙ ВОЕННЫЙ КОРАБЛЬ, ИДИ НА**Й', presented in both Russian and English, cannot be registered as an EU trademark," the statement said.
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine attempted to register the trademark in 2022 for a wide range of goods and services, including those related to publishing, education, entertainment, and sports.
On December 1, 2023, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) rejected the application, and the EU Court upheld this decision.
The court noted that the phrase became widely circulated in the media immediately after its first use to support Ukraine, quickly turning into a symbol of the country's fight against Russian aggression. As a result, the phrase was used in a political context, repeatedly, to express and support Ukraine.
The court emphasized that the phrase cannot perform the primary function of a trademark, as the average consumer perceives it not as a designation of the origin of goods or services but solely as a political message.
