Furniture giant IKEA loses its trademark dispute in SC in Indonesia
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There is Samsung of South Korea, Sony of Japan, BMW of Germany and IKEA of Indonesia. Wait! IKEA of Indonesia? Yes, at least in Indonesia, if not worldwide.
Furniture giant IKEA, founded in Sweden in 1943, has lost a trademark dispute in Indonesia after the country’s highest court agreed the name was owned by a local company.
Indonesian furniture company PT Ratania Khatulistiwa registered its IKEA trademark in December 2013. It’s an acronym of Intan Khatulistiwa Esa Abadi.
The Supreme Court’s ruling was made in May last year but only surfaced publicly this week with its publication online by the court on Thursday.
It said IKEA had not actively used its trademark in three consecutive years for commercial purposes and it could be deleted under Indonesia’s trademark law.
Questions & Answers
Q.Which company now legally owns the IKEA trademark in Indonesia?
Which company now legally owns the IKEA trademark in Indonesia?
The Indonesian furniture company PT Ratania Khatulistiwa registered its IKEA trademark in December 2013 and has been confirmed as the legal owner by the country's Supreme Court.
Q.When did the Supreme Court issue its ruling on the trademark dispute?
When did the Supreme Court issue its ruling on the trademark dispute?
The Supreme Court's ruling on the trademark dispute was made in May of last year. However, it only became publicly known this week after its publication online by the court on Thursday.
Q.Why did the Supreme Court rule against the Swedish furniture giant IKEA?
Why did the Supreme Court rule against the Swedish furniture giant IKEA?
The court ruled that IKEA had not actively used its trademark for commercial purposes for three consecutive years. Under Indonesian trademark law, this allows a trademark to be deleted.
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