®

+48 22 355 32 21

®
spor-w-przestworzach-o-zurawia.-lufthansa-vs-lot-600

Airspace dispute over crane. Lufthansa vs LOT

Recent events in the aviation industry confirm that disputes over trademark rights are no longer limited to terrestrial matters but are entering a completely new dimension – the skies. Specifically, this concerns a dispute between two airlines, namely the Polish airline LOT and the German airline Lufthansa. In the case of both companies, the same bird – a crane – plays a leading role in their logos. Until 2019, both companies operated in the market without any conflicts in this regard. This was partly due to the fact that the crane in the Lufthansa logo was placed on a distinctive orange-yellow background and also had a different pose than the one in the PLL LOT logo. It is worth noting that the logo of the Polish airline has n officially in use since 1931, and its author was Lucjan Gronowski, who graduated from the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Paris.

The Polish crane on the wing of LOT since 1931.

The situation changed when, in 2019, the German company decided to implement a rebranding of its brand, which included, among other things, refreshing the brand’s trademark by removing the orange-yellow background and replacing it with navy blue, the same color as the LOT graphic trademark. As a result, the logos of both carriers feature an image of a crane in white on a navy blue background. Interestingly, as early as 2018, the new logo of the German company was visible on the aircraft received from individual manufacturers.

Does the trademark background matter?

Due to the changes introduced, Lufthansa applied for the registration of a new logo in the form of a graphic trademark, which Polish Airlines (PLL LOT) subsequently opposed. As a result, PLL LOT filed an objection against the registration of the German carrier’s new trademark. The justification stated that the new Lufthansa trademark could mislead individual consumers, leading the carrier to gain an unfair advantage in the air travel market while simultaneously weakening the Polish company’s brand.

Which crane was the first?

In the coming months, we will certainly learn more about the further developments in the dispute, as the German company has not yet responded to the media reports and legal actions taken by PLL LOT.

In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that the Lufthansa logo was created in 1918, which is earlier than the logo of the Polish airline.

Table of contents:

You might also be interested in this:

Trademark register: how to check if a trademark is registered?

Trademark register: how to check if a trademark is registered?

Trademark – find out what it is and how you can effectively protect it

Trademark – find out what it is and how you can effectively protect it

Trademark cancellation – is it possible?

Trademark cancellation – is it possible?

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Share:

Start character scan now

Fill out the form, and we will get back to you within the next 1-2 business days with a preliminary quote.

    Jaki znak mamy zbadać?


    Wybierz „znak słowny”, jeżeli chcesz zbadać oznaczenie słowne, i wpisz je w okienku poniżej. Możesz podać tylko jedno oznaczenie.
    Wybierz „znak graficzny lub słowno-graficzny”, jeżeli Twój znak ma określoną postać graficzną. W okienku poniżej wpisz elementy słowne, jeżeli takie pojawiają się na grafice, i dodaj plik zawierający grafikę znaku. Możesz przesłać tylko jeden plik o maksymalnym rozmiarze 1mb.

    Podaj szczegółowo, dla jakich towarów lub usług będzie używany Twój znak. W okienku poniżej wyszukaj odpowiedni termin, a następnie kliknij na niego, by dodać towar lub usługę do listy. Możesz dodać jednocześnie wiele towarów lub usług. Przed przejściem do następnego kroku upewnij się, że na liście znajdują się wszystkie towary lub usługi – później nie będzie można jej zmodyfikować!

    jakich produktów lub usług dotyczy rejestracja