Baumarktkette Obi verliert Farbstreit um "Obi-Orange"

The German home improvement chain Obi has lost a legal battle over its trademark orange color. According to the Handelsblatt, Obi had argued that its specific shade of orange, which is a key part of its logo, is a unique and essential part of its brand identity. However, the Bundesgerichtshof (BGH) ruled that the color orange is not specific to Obi and is more commonly associated with home improvement chains in general.

The BGH's decision upheld a previous ruling by the Bundespatentgericht, which had allowed rival chains Hornbach and Globus to request the cancellation of Obi's trademark registration. The court's decision was based on the finding that Obi's orange color is not distinctive enough to be protected as a trademark. The Handelsblatt reported that the case had been ongoing for some time, with Obi appealing the decision to the BGH.

The Der Standard Wirtschaft noted that several home improvement chains use orange in their logos, raising questions about whether a specific shade of orange can be considered a unique identifier for a particular brand. The BGH's ruling suggests that, in this case, Obi's orange color is not unique enough to be protected as a trademark.

Brief written by urgent.news from Der Standard Wirtschaft, Handelsblatt — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.