Asterix defeated by the roamin’ empire

Wily French cartoon characters Asterix and Obelix have lost their first battle — not against their traditional foes Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire, but against the European Trademark office and mobile-phone company Orange.

Orange, which also trades as Mobistar, wanted to use the word Mobilix to promote some of its products and services and was granted a limited right to do so by the trademark office.

However, the owners of the Asterix series appealed to the European Court in Luxembourg and were told they did not have sole ownership of words and names ending in “ix.”