The company Escobar Inc., with a registered office in Puerto Rico, requested the registration of the Pablo Escobar trademark. The Intellectual Property Office of the European Union rejects the registration on the grounds that it is contrary to public order and good customs.
The company of Puerto Rican origin appealed to the European courts, which have not agreed with it. In the ruling, the General Court of the EU leaves the door open for the company to file an appeal before the Court of Justice within a period of two months and 10 days from notification of the resolution. "Pablo Escobar's fundamental right to the presumption of innocence has not been violated, since, although he was never criminally convicted, in Spain he is publicly perceived as a drug lord," the ruling indicates. "The brand will be perceived as contrary to the values and fundamental moral norms prevailing in Spanish society,' it adds.