Red Bull Loses Purple and Silver Color Trademark in EU

Two of Red Bull GmbH’s EU trademark registrations, covering the purple and silver color scheme for its energy drinks, were canceled Nov. 30 because they do not represent the trademark precisely enough.

The General Court of the European Union said the company’s trademark registrations aren’t limited to a specific arrangement or layout of the colors (Red Bull GmbH v. European Union Intellectual Property Office, EC Ct. 1st Inst., Case T-101/15, 11/30/17).

The case demonstrates some of the complexities for trademarks that consist largely of a color scheme rather than any specific text or design. Colors by themselves, without ...