Hop off: Lindt loses bid to trademark rabbit

Swiss chocolate maker Lindt’s chocolate rabbits are devoid of any distinctive character and cannot be registered as a trademark in the EU, according to the Union’s top court.

The Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice (ECJ) upheld the decision of the EU trademarks agency OHIM, which rejected Lindt’s application for a trademark of its sitting bunny shapes wrapped in gold foil with a red ribbon bow tie.

Lindt was seeking protection for the same bunny, minus the name, which would have given it wider rights.