The Oktoberfest is Munich's world-famous figurehead.
But entrepreneurs keep trying to make money with the name.
Now the EU has put a stop to it.
Alicante / Munich - After five years of examination by the EU intellectual property authority (EUIPO), the “Oktoberfest” has become a protected trademark.
The office based in Alicante, Spain, has approved the application of the Munich city administration and has now published the brand on its website with the status "registered".
The trademark protection is initially valid until 2026. The Munich city administration wants to prevent Oktoberfest profiteers. The term is now protected for 22 “product classes” from soap and credit cards to uniform rental, including tourism advertising. The protection of the Oktoberfest brand does not mean that Oktoberfest imitations from Brazil to Malaysia to the USA can no longer take place in principle. Trouble in Munich, however, was triggered by the plan of some business people to hold a large-scale replacement Oktoberfest in Dubai.
(dpa)
