Russian Agency Denies Color Trademark for Whiskas Cat Food

Mars Inc. can’t register color as a trademark for its Whiskas cat food brand, Russia’s patent and trademark regulator said.

The Sept. 18 decision upheld a finding that Mars failed to demonstrate acquired distinctiveness under Russian trademark laws when trying to register “Whiskas purple,” specifically a color known as Pantone 248C. It also counters a recent trend of Russian trademark decisions favoring major U.S. corporations.

The Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) declined to register the trademark last year. Mars filed objections and asked Rospatent’s Chamber of Patent Disputes to reconsider. The company argued that the color was closely ...