Zara may register “26 1 18 1” as a trademark (after all)

The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Inditex in its dispute with the Spanish trademark authority OEPM over the registration of “26 1 18 1” as a trademark. After years of legal proceedings, the fashion giant has finally won its case.

“Not distinctive enough”

The OEPM had rejected the application for the numerical trademark “26 1 18 1” (with A as the first letter of our alphabet and Z as the 26th…) due to a “complete lack of distinctiveness.” Inditex had started using this numerical code in 2021 for its sportswear line “Zara Athleticz”, but a year later, its registration was rejected.