Iconic French luxury house Chanel lost its trademark fight with Huawei Technologies after a Luxemborg court ruled that their logos bear no similarity to each other. Judges ruled in favour of Huawei's bid to get an EU-wide trademark for a logo, which the French label claimed was too similar to its widely recognisable interlocked C logo. The dispute dates to 2017 when Huawei sought to register its computer hardware trademark which has two interlocking semi-circles, resembling C's.
"The marks at issue share some similarities but their visual differences are significant. In particular, Chanel’s marks have more rounded curves, thicker lines and a horizontal orientation, whereas the orientation of the Huawei mark is vertical," said the EU General Court in Luxembourg.
In 2019, the trademark office had dismissed Chanel’s objection, dismissing the likelihood of public confusion. The French brand subsequently challenged the ruling at the Luxembourg General Court, which also dismissed the appeal in its ruling.
“The figurative marks at issue are not similar. The marks must be compared as applied for and registered, without altering their orientation,” the judges said.