Colombia’s most feared drug baron, shot dead in 1993, made billions from smuggling cocaine into the US.
The name of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar cannot be registered as a European Union trademark for goods or services in the bloc, a court has ruled.
On Wednesday, the EU General Court in Luxembourg ruled that the name is associated with “drug trafficking and narco-terrorism and the resulting crimes and suffering” from them, and should not receive protection under intellectual property laws.
The court upheld the decision of the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) that refused a trademark application from Escobar Inc in 2022.
Escobar Inc was founded in Puerto Rico by Pablo Escobar’s brother, Roberto de Jesus Escobar Gaviria, who spent 12 years in prison for his role in his brother’s criminal organization.
Pablo Escobar, one of the world’s most notorious bandits, was killed in a shootout with police and soldiers on a rooftop in Medellín, Colombia, on December 2, 1993.
He led one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the world, the Medellín cartel, and made a fortune smuggling cocaine into the United States and is considered responsible for the deaths of thousands of people.
#EUGeneralCourt: The name Pablo Escobar cannot be registered as #EU registered trademark
— EU Court of Justice (@EUCourtPress) April 17, 2024
The judges ruled that the brand would be “perceived as contrary to fundamental values and moral standards”. The court said Pablo Escobar was largely not associated with any good deeds he allegedly performed on behalf of the poor in Colombia.
Escobar was never criminally convicted. But the court said his “fundamental right to the presumption of innocence was not violated because, although he has never been criminally convicted, he is publicly seen… as a symbol of organized crime responsible for numerous crimes.”
Gaviria said in 2020 that his company would launch a foldable smartphone called the Escobar Fold 1. The company currently sells a cryptocurrency called Escobar Cash, according to its website.
Thousands of people were killed in cartel-related violence during and after Escobar’s death. Medellín, Colombia’s second-largest city, has been ravaged by drug violence, car bombs and regular shootings as drug gangs, state forces and private armed groups battled for supremacy.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
