FCUK OK


Ireland Online reports that a retired businessman has failed in his attempt to have French Connection's UK registration of the term FCUK invalidated on immorality grounds. FCUK is said by the company to stand for "French Connection, United Kingdom".


So far, details are scant, but the IPKat will endeavour to bring you more coverage when the Hearing Officer's decision becomes publicly available. In the mean time, he notes a potential contrast with the decision of a USPTO examiner, noted on Marty Schwimmer's Trademark [sic] Blog, on the registrability of the term KATRINA BLOWS, BUSH SUCKS. There, in examining whether the work SUCKS is offensive, the examiner found that even if vulgar words are commonly used today amongst the American public, this doesn't stop them from being obscenities. The IPKat is rather intrigued by this idea - it suggests some sort of absolute meaning for words, divorced of what the people who use them think they mean. Merpel says hm.
FCUK OK FCUK OK Reviewed by Anonymous on Wednesday, December 21, 2005 Rating: 5

2 comments:

  1. Jeremy Pennant points the IPKat in the direction of this story, with further details, on the BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4550156.stm

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now on line here. Decision O/330/05.

    ReplyDelete

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