Europe: The European Union General Court recently ruled that Pablo Escobar’s name cannot be registered as a trademark across the union. The court justified the decision by stating that the name is associated with drug trafficking, narco-terrorism, and the crimes and suffering that result from them.
As a result, it should not be granted protection under existing intellectual property laws. This ruling supports the conclusion of the EU’s Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) which earlier rejected a brand application by Escobar Inc. in 2022.
Roberto de Jesus Escobar Gaviria established Escobar Inc., who was Pablo Escobar’s brother. He was imprisoned for 12 years for his involvement in his brother’s illegal organisation. In December 1993, Pablo Escobar, the powerful criminal, was killed in a rooftop shootout with police and soldiers in Medellin, Colombia.
Escobar was the leader of the Medellin cartel, one of the world’s most powerful criminal organisations, and he made his fortune by smuggling cocaine to the United States. It is believed that he was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people.
According to the court, the trademark associated with Pablo Escobar would be perceived as violating fundamental moral and ethical standards. As the court stated, Pablo Escobar was not primarily associated with any good deeds that he claimed were committed to helping Colombians.
Escobar’s death and the subsequent violence caused thousands of deaths. In Colombia’s second-largest city, Medellin, drug gangs, state forces and private armed groups engaged in regular shootouts as a result of drug violence.
MOST READ | ‘Asia’s El Chapo’ extradited to Australia in drug trafficking charges
