#62025TO0732EU General Court Rejects Skechers’ SLIP-INS Trade Mark Appeal
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
The order confirms that Skechers cannot register SLIP-INS as an EU trade mark for footwear because the phrase directly describes shoes that are easy to slip into. The Court found the appeal clearly unfounded and upheld EUIPO’s refusal. Footwear brands should treat product terms that describe fit, use, or features as weak candidates for EU trade mark protection. Businesses using similar names may need stronger branding elements or evidence that consumers identify the term with one commercial source.
AI-generated summary. May contain errors. Refer to official sources for legal decisions.
Key Changes
- Confirms refusal to register SLIP-INS as an EU trade mark for footwear
- Treats SLIP-INS as descriptive of shoes that can be put on easily
- Rejects reliance on earlier national or similar trade mark registrations
Obligations
What this law requires
EU trade marks must not be registered where the sign consists exclusively of indications that may serve in trade to designate the kind, quality, intended purpose, method of use, or other characteristics of the goods or services under Article 7(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001.
For EU trade mark assessment, an absolute ground for refusal is sufficient if it exists in only part of the European Union, including a single Member State, under Article 7(2) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001.
A word sign for footwear that the relevant English-speaking public immediately understands as describing shoes that can be put on easily, such as SLIP-INS, may be refused registration as descriptive under Article 7(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001.
Previous EUIPO registrations or national registrations of similar signs do not bind EUIPO or the EU Courts when assessing whether a later EU trade mark application must be refused under Regulation (EU) 2017/1001.
Where a sign is found descriptive under Article 7(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001, EUIPO and the Court need not separately assess whether the sign also lacks distinctive character under Article 7(1)(b), because one absolute ground is enough to refuse registration.