L'Oréal has triumphed in convincing European officials to have German personal care manufacturer MeeMotion GmbH drop its ‘Oh de Toilette’ trademark application.
The French beauty giant complained to the European Union Intellectual Property Office’s (EUIPO) Opposition Division against the company.
L'Oréal said the trademark application’s content was too similar to one it had previously submitted over a stylised version of the letter ‘O’.
The EUIPO ruled in favour of L'Oréal after it demonstrated that “consumers would think” the signs were connected, Law360 reported.
"Consumers would inevitably make a mental connection with the earlier sign and the goods it offers, on account of the reputation of the earlier mark,” a EUIPO statement seen by Law360 read.
“This would give the applicant a competitive advantage.”
Although certain aspects of the signs “did not look alike and had different concepts behind them”, it found that connections between both companies’ offerings "undoubtedly exist”.
L'Oréal is not the only beauty brand to fight to protect its trademarks.
In 2024, L’Occitane successfully stopped an Italian model from registering a trademark similar to its Erborian brand.
Alice Taticchi was prevented from registering her Arboria Skin Care trademark by the Fifth Board of Appeal of the EUIPO.
According to the board, potential customers were likely to confuse the two brands due to “strong commonalities, both visually and aurally”.
Taticchi has been embroiled in a dispute with L’Occitane for more than two years.
Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) also blocked British singer Robbie Williams’ plans to launch a skin care brand.
YSL claimed the ‘Angel’ singer’s proposed moniker Hopeium was too similar to its fragrance line Black Opium.
The L’Oréal-licenced brand formally objected to the UK government's Intellectual Property Office (IPO).
Cosmetics Business has contacted L'Oréal for comment.