No protection for Leader cigarette brand

 The Leader cigarette brand will not be granted trademark protection in Switzerland. The Federal Administrative Court has rejected the appeal of a Greek company. According to the ruling by the judges in Bern, the English word "Leader" is a description of quality that makes the average consumer think of a top product. Such a quality designation is devoid of any distinctive character and must be kept free for advertising purposes, even with regard to competitors, and nothing can be derived from the Boss trademark, which is registered in Switzerland, in favor of Leader. In contrast to "Leader", the term "Boss" is usually only used to designate persons.
The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property refused to register the international trademark Leader in Switzerland in 2007. The decision can now be appealed to the Federal Supreme Court.