EU court rules Pablo Escobar cannot be registered as a trademark

The General Court, which is part of the European Court of Justice, the EU's highest court based in Luxembourg, has announced its decision in the case regarding the registration of the name of Colombian criminal organization leader Pablo Escobar as a trademark.

The court ruled that the public associates the name Pablo Escobar with drug trafficking and narco-terrorism, and therefore the name in question cannot be registered as a trademark in the EU.

Escobar Inc, founded in Puerto Rico, had applied to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in 2021 for the use of the name Pablo Escobar for various products and services.

The EUIPO had rejected the trademark application on the grounds that the brand name in question was contrary to public policy and accepted principles of morality.

Escobar Inc had initiated legal proceedings against this decision.