L'Oreal loses trademark case

French cosmetics giant L’Oreal failed to overturn a European Union trade mark ruling that favoured its US rival Revlon.

The European Court of First Instance upheld a 2001 decision by the EU’s trademark office to reject L’Oreal’s attempt to register the “Flexi Air” name for a range of shampoos and other hair products.

The trademark office based in Alicante, Spain, backed a challenge from Revlon which said it already held the rights to the word “Flex” for hair products in some EU nations.

L’Oreal took its case to the EU court in 2003, but the panel of European judges dismissed the case and ordered the French company to pay undisclosed costs.