Trademark Registrar Rules F1, F1H20 Brand Names Can Co-Exist In Singapore

The F1 night race and the F1H2O powerboat race brand names can continue alongside each other in Singapore, "ruled a registrar in settling a longstanding trademark clash between the two crowd-pulling titans," according to K.C. Vijayan of the STRAITS TIMES. Formula One Licensing BV, the trademark managers for the FIA Formula One World Championship, "had objected when Swiss-based Idea Marketing SA applied to register its F1H2O trademark" in '07. Idea Marketing "is the global promoter for the F1 Powerboat World Championship, a high-octane water sport event hosted at different venues." FOL "sought to rely on the fame of its F1 mark." However, this was rejected by Assistant Registrar of Trade Marks Diyanah Baharudin, "who found the evidence produced did not meet the standard expected of a well-known name." Diyanah found the "F1" term to be a descriptive one "and not distinctive of any particular event" (STRAITS TIMES, 11/25).