STRONG BONDS. TRUSTED SOLUTIONS. held to be laudatory promotional formula

In Solenis Technologies LP v EUIPO, the General Court has dismissed Solenis Technologies LP’s action against the EUIPO's decision to refuse the registration of the word mark STRONG BONDS. TRUSTED SOLUTIONS. for goods in Class 1 on the ground that it was an ordinary advertising message. The case highlights the hurdles that applicants face when attempting to register advertising slogans as trademarks and the fundamental need to prove distinctiveness.