<
https://www.dw.com/en/german-activists-use-trademark-law-to-fight-far-right-nazi-merchandise/a-77770986>
“In recent years, far-right merchandise has become an important source of
income for some right-wing extremist groups and individuals in Germany. Online
stores sell clothing, accessories and other products that use symbols members
of the far-right scene recognize.
Because many openly Nazi symbols are illegal in Germany, sellers have
increasingly relied on coded language to get around the law. Hitler has become
HTLR, while Hakenkreuz (swastika) is abbreviated to HKNKRZ.
But the campaign "Recht Gegen Rechts" (Rights Against the Right) has found a
clever way to combat this legal workaround. They take control of Nazi-related
symbols, coded extremist phrases and the names of far-right businesses by
registering them as trademarks at the European trademark office.
The campaign was launched in 2021 by German creative agency Jung von Matt,
together with Hamburg-based nonprofit Laut Gegen Nazis (Noise against Nazis).
If extremist retailers continue to sell products bearing the newly protected
names or phrases without permission, they could face legal action for
infringement — including paying compensation for each item sold.”
Via Christoph S.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
