// Iceland is returning to court as it battles the country to trademark its name

// The country won a rulling in 2019 that invalidated Iceland Foods’ EU trademark

Iceland is set to return to court in a long-running battle with the country Iceland over the supermarket trademarking its name. 

The supermarket first applied to the EU to trademark its name in 2002, and after several attempts was finally granted it in  2014, much to the chagrin of the country Iceland.

However, the country won a ruling in 2019 that invalidated the exclusivity of Iceland Foods’ EU trademark registration.

The case has now been taken to the Grand Board of the EU Intellectual Property Office, according to The Metro.

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Icelandic lawyers said the country losing would be a blow for domestic firms, which would not be able to describe their products as Icelandic.

‘It would mean that Icelandic companies could possibly not use the word Iceland in their trademarks to designate the products they’re selling,’ Margrét Hjálmarsdóttir, an attorney at the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office told Icelandic broadcaster RUV.

It is thought that the case will not be decided until next year.