A French TV and electronic communications hardware and services
provider has fended off a trade mark challenge brought by a US
firm. Paris firm Canal+ employs a distinctive trade mark logo , a
colourful ellipse shape. US-based Gemstar Development applied to
have Canal+’s trade mark registration denied and claimed that the
trade mark would lead to confusion with its own videoplus+ brand of
video recording technology.
Gemstar’s arguments were rejected by the UK Trade Mark
Registrar’s office on the basis that, “there will be no confusion
in the minds of the public in respect of the trade marks which will
lead to confusion in the goods or services.”
Gemstar had said that the symbol + was descriptive and non
distinctive and that the same was true of the word “canal” since it
is the French word for channel.
