Formula One Group Loses Legal Battle to Secure "F1" Trademark

The Formula One Group has lost its final battle to get exclusive rights to the “F1” abbreviation as a trademark. According to media reports on Thursday, the General Court in Luxembourg, Europe's second-highest court, rejected the appeal forwarded by Formula One Licensing on the commercial rights of the “F1” abbreviation.

“Formula One Licensing cannot prevent the registration of a (European) Community trade mark containing the words 'F1 LIVE',” said the ruling issued by the General Court in Luxembourg.

“There is no likelihood of confusion between the mark applied for and Formula One Licensing's marks, given the low degree of similarity between the marks and the descriptive character that the public attributes to the abbreviation 'F1',” it added.

According to a report from British publication Autosport, citing official documentation from the Luxembourg court, the FOL – the commercial rights arm of the Formula One Group – was seeking exclusive rights to "F1", "F1 Formula 1", "F1 Racing Simulation", "F1 Pole Position" and "F1 Pit Stop Cafe".

The entire saga began back in 2004, when Racing-Live company tried to register the “F1 Live” designation. Needless to say, the FOG counteracted on this move and issued legal proceedings against the aforementioned registrations, gaining a favorable decision from the trademark agency OHIM.

Racing-Live appealed the decision some years later and, by 2007, the same OHIM changed its stance and switched their decision in favor of the company which was later bought by ESPN.