The European Union says the tiny principality of Monaco is too famous to trademark its own name.
The EU's General Court today upheld an EU decision not to allow the wealthy enclave on France's Mediterranean coast to use its name as a trademark on products including photos, printed matter and services linked to entertainment and sporting activities.
The court says the word Monaco "corresponds to the name of a globally-known principality, not least due to the renown of its royal family, its organisation of a Formula 1 Grand Prix and its organisation of a circus festival."
The World Intellectual Property Organization granted Monaco an international trademark covering the European Union in 2010, but the EU in 2013 refused to accept it. The ruling can be appealed.
