The treatment of colour trademarks in the jurisprudence of the Andean Court of Justice

Authors

  • Juan Manuel Indacochea Jauregui Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú

Abstract

The Andean Court of Justice has been developing a consistent jurisprudential line with regard to colour trademarks. The supranational court has developed criteria for the application of the causes of non-registrability due to lack of intrinsic distinctiveness of the sign requested for registration consisting of a combination of colors or a specific colour delimited by a particular form. However, the Andean Court of Justice recently ruled, contradicting the essence of the aforementioned jurisprudential line, in a dispute regarding the interpretation of the requirement that a sign consisting of an isolated colour must be delimited by a specific form, established in Articles 134 e) and 135 h) of Decision 486, “Common Regime on Industrial Property” of the Andean Community.

Keywords:

Andean community, colour trademarks, colour combinations, functionality, genericity, common use

Author Biography

Juan Manuel Indacochea Jauregui, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú

Colaborador de la Magistratura del Perú en el Tribunal de Justicia de la Comunidad Andina. Ex Consultor interno de la Magistratura de Bolivia del Tribunal de Justicia de la Comunidad Andina. Master en Derecho Internacional en la Universidad Paris-Ouest Nanterre La Défense, Master en Derecho de la Propiedad Intelectual en el CEIPI de la Universidad de Estrasburgo.