We successfully defended the interests of racing organiser National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) in disputes over registration of the NASCAR trademark in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. With the help of our team, the company managed to protect its NASCAR trademark and to invalidate designations of the international registration of an identical trademark by Amaxa Pharma LTD in the Baltics.

In Lithuania, the issue was resolved in court, in Latvia and Estonia – by the Industrial Property Boards of Appeal. These decisions enable NASCAR to support its claim ‒ in any future disputes ‒ that its trademarks are well-known worldwide, as well as in the Baltics.

Identical trademarks for different goods

Amaxa Pharma LTD, the proprietor of a trademark identical to our clients’, sought to extend international registration of its NASCAR trademark to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Amaxa intended to use the trademark for marking medical and health goods.

Our client does not use the NASCAR trademark for medical products and does not have trademark protection for such products. However, Amaxa Pharma LTD can potentially exploit the well-established reputation of the NASCAR trademark and its association with popular racing, misleading consumers as to the origin of the goods by using the trademark for its own products. This behaviour could be seen as fraudulent in its intentions.

Our team representing the client