German savings banks win trademark on the colour red

The Federal Supreme Court has ruled that the colour red belongs to the savings banks (Sparkassen) in the German banking sector. This represents a victory for the savings banks: "It is extremely difficult to be granted trademark on colour", stated Grünecker attorney Dr Nicolás Schmitz, quoted by the German Press Agency ("dpa"). "You can tell that the Federal Supreme Court wishes to set clear boundaries", commented Dr Schmitz on the recent ruling: "An attempt is being made to help trademark owners a little." The dpa article was published in numerous media.