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London-based Brompton Bicycle has won an intellectual property legal case in Spain, protecting the style and design of the brand from imitators.
The case is not the first that Brompton has brought and the Spanish ruling marks the third time that Brompton has established its IP – now in three jurisdictions, and under different jurisdictions. In each case the manufacturer of the offending items has been the same, though the trademarks under which they have been distributed has varied.
A statement from Brompton’s lawyers in Spain read: “Brompton Bicycle Ltd has obtained a ruling that confirms the intellectual property rights in respect of its well-known BROMPTON bicycle. Commercial Court No. 5 of Madrid has decided that the "OXFORD" bicycle, manufactured by Grace Gallant in Taiwan and marketed under several trademarks, constitutes an infringement of the intellectual property rights of Brompton Bicycle Ltd.
“As a consequence thereof, the Court ordered an injunction of the importation, distribution and sale of the bicycles that infringed Brompton Bicycle Ltd’s intellectual property rights. This judgment is final, as agreed by both parties. The judgment is consistent with the decisions in other countries, notably Belgium and the Netherlands, where Brompton Bicycle Ltd has won similar rulings in respect of its IP rights.”
Brompton’s Sales and Marketing director Emerson Roberts commented: “We have always welcomed fair competition which advances the cause of cycling but these imitations merely borrow from years of hard work and innovation, adding nothing of value to the market, and confusing our customers.”
