{"id":3310,"date":"2025-01-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-12T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.abrilabogados.com\/noticias\/could-the-expression-hopeless-poofter-be-registered-as-a-trademark\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T21:30:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:30:45","slug":"could-the-expression-hopeless-poofter-be-registered-as-a-trademark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abrilabogados.com\/en\/noticias\/could-the-expression-hopeless-poofter-be-registered-as-a-trademark\/","title":{"rendered":"Could the expression \u201cHOPELESS POOFTER\u201d be registered as a trademark?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2809 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abrilabogados.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Captura-de-pantalla-2025-01-13-202057.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"215\" height=\"306\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The answer was recently provided by the EUIPO through its Enlarged Board of Appeal, the highest decision-making body within the Office. The full resolution, dated November 28, 2024, is available <a href=\"https:\/\/euipo.europa.eu\/eSearchCLW\/#key\/trademark\/APL_20241125_R2307_2020-G_018234526\">HERE<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The case began in May 2020 when the audiovisual production company Turner Broadcasting System Europe (TNT) filed an application for a word mark for audiovisual recordings and entertainment services in classes 9 and 41.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The trademark is associated with the TV series of the same name, which premiered in 2021. The series is a fictional production based on the memoirs of Bob Pop, a Spanish writer and TV critic, who serves as its screenwriter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">EUIPO initially rejected the application, citing that it violated public morality and therefore infringed Article 7(1)(f) of the EU Trademark Regulation. The examiner argued that the expression was offensive not only to the specific target audience of the products associated with the mark but also to the general public, particularly children and young people in Spain. The term \u201cMARICON PERDIDO\u201d (hopeless faggot \/ hopeless poofter) was deemed even more offensive than the word \u201cmaric\u00f3n\u201d (faggot) on its own.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The refusal was appealed by the applicant, who argued that the expression was commonly used and had a connection to Bob Pop\u2019s series, which addresses his experiences with homophobia during his youth. The applicant also pointed to other similar trademarks granted by the EUIPO, such as \u201cMDE MARICONES DEL ESPACIO.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The appeal was rejected by the nine-member Chamber, which concluded that \u201cMARICON PERDIDO\u201d is a homophobic insult that contradicts human dignity and the generally accepted principles of morality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Turner\u2019s argument that the expression had been rehabilitated or reappropriated was also dismissed. According to the EUIPO, the offensive tone of the expression remains persistent for a significant portion of the Spanish public, including the LGBTQ+ community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">This decision is not final and TNT may appeal it before the General Court of Justice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Ignacio Temi\u00f1o<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Lawyer<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The answer was recently provided by the EUIPO through its Enlarged Board of Appeal, the highest decision-making body within the Office. The full resolution, dated November 28, 2024, is available&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"sector_noticias":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3310","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-news"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Could the expression \u201cHOPELESS POOFTER\u201d be registered as a trademark? - Abril Abogados<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abrilabogados.com\/en\/noticias\/could-the-expression-hopeless-poofter-be-registered-as-a-trademark\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Could the expression \u201cHOPELESS POOFTER\u201d be registered as a trademark? - Abril Abogados\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The answer was recently provided by the EUIPO through its Enlarged Board of Appeal, the highest decision-making body within the Office. 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