Montblanc Trademark for Stationery Goods Not Protected against Mont Blanc Tobacco Products in Latvia : Latvian Supreme Court Senate Decision : EU

Class 46 summarizes a note written at the World Trademark Review by Valentina Sergeyeva of Strahlberg & Partners in Riga, Latvia, relating to a decision of the Senate of the Latvian Supreme Court concerning a "Mont Blanc" tobacco and cigarette trademark registration application by the Polish company Zaklady Tytoniowe w Lubline SA, which was opposed by Montblanc-Simplo GmbH, now owned by the luxury goods conglomerate Richemont, as holders of the famous MontBlanc pen and stationery trademark. Opposition to registration of the mark was dismissed on the grounds that there were already other goods named Mont Blanc (e.g. Mont Blanc car roof racks in Sweden, the UK, Ireland and Germany) and there was no reason to think that Latvian consumers would confuse marks which applied to completely different sets of products, i.e. stationery items vs. tobacco products and cigarettes.

See also MONT BLANC TOBACCO CO FRANCE LIMITED

Jānis Rozenfelds at Rozenfelds & Partners in his January 21, 2008 article at Mondaq titled Latvia: Court System In Latvia explains the current Latvian judicial system for those who are interested.