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EU Rejects Spam Maker's Trademark Bid

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the how-the-mighty-have-fallen dept.

kog777 writes "The producer of the canned pork product Spam has lost a bid to claim the word as a trademark for unsolicited e-mails. EU trademark officials rejected Hormel Foods Corp.'s appeal, dealing the company another setback in its struggle to prevent software companies from using the word 'spam' in their products, a practice it argued was diluting its brand name. The European Office of Trade Marks and Designs, noting that the vast majority of the hits yielded by a Google search for the word made no reference to the food, said that 'the most evident meaning of the term SPAM for the consumers ... will certainly be unsolicited, usually commercial e-mail, rather than a designation for canned spicy ham.'"

6 of 231 comments (clear)

  1. Well.... by diersing · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Are we really using Google to decide such matters? What else could Google decide for us?

    1. Re:Well.... by jimicus · · Score: 5, Funny

      they'd rather eat cat feces, which smells the same but tastes slightly better.

      How do you know?

    2. Re:Well.... by thinsoldier · · Score: 5, Funny

      i've had lots of cats in my life
      I've seen them all eat poo on many occasions
      i've also seen dogs digging in my trash to snack on used kitty litter

      i tried feeding spam to 4 of my cats a few years ago, 3 didnt even bother to taste it
      1 ate it but threw up about an hour later

  2. Number One by Billosaur · · Score: 5, Informative
    The European Office of Trade Marks and Designs, noting that the vast majority of the hits yielded by a Google search for the word made no reference to the food...

    SPAM search

    And what is the first item listed, you ask? Why WWW.SPAM.COM - From Hormel Foods Corporation. Includes history, fan club, and facts. I'm pretty sure Hormel has had to fork over a lot of money to keep them at the top of any search for SPAM, to keep the trademark from being wiped away.

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  3. ordering instructions, please by revery · · Score: 5, Funny

    the most evident meaning of the term SPAM for the consumers ... will certainly be unsolicited, usually commercial e-mail, rather than a designation for canned spicy ham.

    I just want to know how to order breakfast correctly. The last time I asked for Spam spam spam spam spam spam ham eggs spam spam spam bacon and spam, I got 6 advertisements for Viagra and Cialis, 3 pleas for extraditing Nigerian capital, an offer to augment my anatomy and blueberry pancakes served with Raspberry syrup and 2 raw quail eggs.

    Please help!!

    Sincerely,

    A Sad Spam Solicitor

  4. Re:So, lemme get this straight . . . by mwvdlee · · Score: 5, Informative

    You've got a serious case of patent == copyright == trademark.

    They are not all the same.

    The SCO/IBM case is (mainly) about copyright.
    The Transmeta/Intel case is about patents.
    Hormel's case is about a trademark.

    Besides, has Hormel really actively protected their trademark ever since people started using the word "Spam" for unsolicited e-mail? I've only heard about them doing so for the last two, or perhaps three, years.

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