{"id":7286,"date":"2025-10-15T10:57:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T02:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/ca\/?p=7286"},"modified":"2025-10-15T15:04:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T07:04:40","slug":"genuine-trademark-use-in-eu-lessons-from-the-airbnb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/ca\/en\/news\/genuine-trademark-use-in-eu-lessons-from-the-airbnb\/","title":{"rendered":"Genuine trademark use in EU – Lessons from the Airbnb"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGenuine Use Matters: Lessons from the Airbnb v. EUIPO Case\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Airbnb Case: A Cautionary Tale<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

Airbnb registered its EU trademark for a wide range of services across Classes 35, 36, 38, 39, 41, and 43.<\/span><\/p>\n

When challenged by Airtasker Pty Ltd, EUIPO\u2019s Cancellation Division revoked protection for many services.<\/span><\/p>\n

On appeal, the General Court ruled:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  • \u2705 Trademark protection retained for Class 36 services (reviews & feedback about real estate listings, social networking).<\/span><\/li>\n
  • \u274c Revocation upheld for broader services (advertising, payment processing, cultural activities, travel, etc.).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Key Takeaway:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Only services with concrete, well-documented market use survived<\/u>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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    Why This Matters<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

    Owning a trademark in the EU is not enough. To retain protection, owners must prove genuine, consistent commercial use<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The recent decision in Airbnb, Inc. v. EUIPO Case highlights what courts expect when assessing \u201cgenuine use\u201d \u2013 and the serious consequences if proof is lacking.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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    What Counts as \u201cGenuine Use\u201d?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

    To be valid, use must be:<\/span><\/p>\n

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    • Real, substantial, and consistent<\/strong> \u2013 not symbolic.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Distinctive<\/strong>\u2013 identifying goods\/services as registered.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Market-oriented <\/strong>\u2013 directed at creating\/maintaining market share.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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      Common Evidence Includes:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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      • Sales invoices & order records<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Catalogues, product brochures<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Promotional materials, marketing spend records<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Website data, e-commerce extracts, visitor stats<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Tip<\/strong>: Evidence must be dated, geographically relevant, and verifiable.<\/u> Screenshots or URLs alone won\u2019t suffice.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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        Lessons for Trademark Owners<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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        • Don\u2019t Over-Claim<\/strong> \u2013 Register only for goods\/services you truly plan to use.<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Keep Records<\/strong> \u2013 Maintain a portfolio of invoices, catalogues, ads, and digital activity logs.<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Think Long-Term<\/strong> \u2013 Evidence must span at least five years; keep continuous documentation.<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Be Market-Specific<\/strong> \u2013 Evidence must show real commercial engagement in the EU.<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Act Proactively<\/strong> \u2013 Audit your trademark portfolio regularly to avoid vulnerability.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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          How can Accolade IP help?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

          We help clients safeguard trademarks with evidence strategies that stand up in cancellation proceedings.<\/span><\/p>\n

          Our services include:<\/span><\/p>\n

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          • Trademark portfolio audits & maintenance<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Preparation of use evidence bundles<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Representation in EUIPO revocation proceedings<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Strategic advice on class coverage & registrations<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Monitoring & enforcement support across global markets<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Airbnb Case: A Cautionary TaleAirbnb registered its EU trademark for a wide range of services across Classes 35, 36, 38, 39, 41, and 43.When challenged by Airtasker Pty Ltd, EUIPO\u2019s Cancellation Division revoked protection for many services.On appeal, the General Court ruled:\u2705 Trademark protection retained for Class 36 services (reviews […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7286"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7312,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7286\/revisions\/7312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}