{"id":2085,"date":"2025-10-15T16:09:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T08:09:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/uk\/?p=2085"},"modified":"2026-03-27T09:42:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T01:42:19","slug":"genuine-trademark-use-in-eu-lessons-from-the-airbnb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/uk\/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>\n<\/div>\n

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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>\n<\/div>\n

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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>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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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>\n<\/div>\n

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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>\n<\/div>\n
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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>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2085"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2090,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2085\/revisions\/2090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}