Kazakh Ministry of Justice vs Rolex – who wins?
The Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan commented on the lawsuit with Rolex SA, Swiss watch designer and manufacturer based in Geneva, Kazinform News Agency reports.
On June 19, 2023, a citizen of Kazakhstan registered a trademark Cosmo. Later, September 4 of the same year, on behalf of the company, a representative of Rolex SA filed an objection to cancel this trademark. As the Swiss company explained, domestic consumers may confuse this trademark with Cosmograph, a well-known trademark of Rolex SA.
The Board of Appeal of the Ministry of Justice reviewed this objection and left it unchanged.
On February 20, 2024, the Board of Appeal made a decision to reject cancellation of the Cosmo trademark.
“According to the members of the Board of Appeal, Cosmograph trademark of Rolex SA and Cosmo trademark cannot be confused by the consumers” the Ministry of Justice says.
The representative of Rolex SA has appealed the decision of the Board of Appeal within the administrative proceedings. On May 20, a preliminary hearing was held in the Specialized Inter-District Court of Astana.
The court hearing is scheduled for June 5.
“Such disputes are no exception and appealing the decisions of the Board of Appeal is a common practice. For example, in 2023, 21 out of 87 decisions were appealed in court,” the press service of the Ministry of Justice adds.
