• 2 min read
OpenAI loses EU trademark fight over its name
An EU court backed regulators in refusing to trademark OpenAI’s name, saying it is too descriptive, though the company’s logo remains protected.
Image: TechXplore
OpenAI has lost its latest attempt to secure an EU trademark for its name, after a court backed regulators who said the term is too descriptive to qualify for protection.
According to the ruling reported by AFP, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) accepted protection for OpenAI’s logo but refused to register the company name itself. EUIPO said the pairing of the common English words “open” and “AI” could describe a wide range of business activities related to artificial intelligence.
Under EU regulations, brands that merely describe a product or service cannot usually be trademarked, because doing so could prevent competitors from using those terms in their own advertising. There is an exception for companies that can show they have used a name for a long time.
OpenAI had already lost an earlier appeal before EUIPO. On Wednesday, the European Court of Justice confirmed that outcome, finding that the name OpenAI is not distinctive enough to be trademarked in the bloc.
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The decision leaves the company with trademark protection for its logo in the EU, but not for the OpenAI word mark.
Enterprise Editor
Marcus follows the money. He covers enterprise software, cloud architecture, and the tectonic shifts in Big Tech strategy. He translates dense earnings calls and complex M&A activity into actionable insights about where the industry is actually heading. If a tech giant makes a silent pivot, Marcus is usually the first to notice.
via TechXplore
