Cinkciarz.pl invalidates two MasterCard trademarks

Cinkciarz.pl wins against MasterCard. The Polish company invalidated in Europe two trademarks of the American giant, one representing two overlapping black and white circles, and another representing two intersecting rings.

MasterCard did not agree to the registration of overlapping circles in the word-graphic trademarks comprising Cinkciarz.pl’s logo. For this reason, MasterCard filed oppositions against the registration of Cinkciarz.pl’s trademarks to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in Alicante, Spain, claiming a similarity to previous MasterCard trademarks. In response, Cinkciarz.pl filed requests for invalidation of the two MasterCard trademarks. In response to the objections, the EUIPO ruled that the disputed trademarks consisting of simple geometric elements representing overlapping circles or rings lack distinctive character and did not acquire such distinctiveness through use. The decisions of the Office in Alicante are not final and binding. MasterCard may file appeals within two months of the date of their issuance.

Contact: 

Andrzej Tomasik

PR Specialist

media@conotoxia.com

Cinkciarz is a repeat winner of the global Bloomberg Rankings. The currency exchange company was named Player of the Year 2016 by Forbes magazine. The CEO of Cinkciarz, Marcin Pioro, was awarded Best Manager 2015 by Bloomberg Businessweek Poland. Reuters described the company as dominant in the Polish currency exchange market. The event that gathered the most attention from the media was the signing of the sponsorship contract with the NBA team, the Chicago Bulls.

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