AZ-Medien: No trademark protection for "A-Z"
The AZ Media Group is not permitted to register the term «A-Z» as a trademark. The Federal Administrative Court explained in its ruling that the term belongs to the public domain and is not eligible for trademark protection.
The Federal Administrative Court refuses to register the AZ Media Group's trademark for the word "A-Z". According to the judges in Bern, the sign stands for "complete" and is therefore part of the unprotectable public domain. In 2008, the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) refused the company's request to register the word sign "A-Z" as a trademark for printed products and other goods or services. The Federal Administrative Court has now rejected the appeal lodged by the media group. The decision from Bern can still be appealed to the Federal Supreme Court within 30 days.
