Skip to content
King.com Ltd., the Swedish company behind the hugely popular mobile game Candy Crush Saga, has successfully blocked German game developer Psmtec GmbH from registering the Candygame trade mark. The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) made the decision, finding that Candygame could potentially unfairly benefit from Candy Crush’s well known brand.
This legal victory for King.com arises from concerns that the similarity between the “Candygame” trade mark and the well-known “Candy Crush” brand could lead to confusion. EUIPO highlighted the deep rootedness of the Candy Crush brand in the minds of consumers, suggesting that the new mark could potentially benefit from its success.
King.com contended that Psmtec’s trademark application, submitted four months prior, bore a striking resemblance to its own brand, heavily marketed since Candy Crush Saga’s launch in 2012. King.com provided evidence showing more than 1.6 billion downloads of Candy Crush Saga in various countries, including significant numbers in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Romania.
The EUIPO’s decision was based on King’s significant marketing efforts and the substantial financial resources it has invested in promoting the Candy Crush Saga. The Office decided that the common element of “Candy” in both trade marks could lead consumers to associate “Candygame” with King’s product, potentially allowing Psmtec to use King’s marketing to its own advantage.
This ruling maintains efforts to protect brands with strong reputations by preventing new, similar brands from undermining their marketing investments.
