EUROPE – FIBO Spain, the independent exhibition whose relaunch prompted Reed, organiser of German fitness and health exhibition FIBO, to call in lawyers over brand protection, has confirmed it has the rights to the FIBO trademark in Spain.
Last year Reed Exhibitions Deutschland sought legal advice following the re-emergence of FIBO Spain after a 12-year hiatus. The independent exhibition, organised by Madrid-based LEDO Sports and Events, was established in 1989 and first ran in 1990. It ceased operating in 2003 as the result of a pending court case involving the previous owners.
But despite the hiatus, FIBO Spain continued to exist as a registered and therefore protected brand, which will relaunch later this year under its new ownership.
According to the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, the trademark ‘Fitness Y Bodybuilding (FIBO)’ is fully in force, having been registered in 1989, with LEDO Sports and Events registered as its licensee.
In a statement last year, Reed explicitly dissociated itself from FIBO Spain, underscoring the point that the event shares no parentage with its 25-year-old Essen, Germany-based event. Reed claimed at the time that it held the exclusive rights to the brand in Europe.
“Reed is the holder of the FIBO brand rights for Europe and beyond and reserves legal action," FIBO event director Olaf Tomscheit said at the time.
However the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office’s confirmation that FIBO Spain owns the rights to the FIBO moniker in Spain now means Reed is awaiting a ‘declaration of invalidity’ for its right to use the FIBO trademark in Spain from EU agency The Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM).
The two-day exhibition FIBO Spain relaunches on 18-19 May 2012, aimed at a predominantly domestic market with some representation from north Africa, Portugal and the south of France.
By contrast Reed's FIBO (pictured) takes place every two years at Exhibition Centre Essen, drawing 600 exhibitors from more than 35 countries. The next edition of the show will be held from 19 to 22 April 2012.
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