The European Court of Justice said it was forced to refuse the request on the grounds of public morality, ending a five-year battle by a Russian designer to register the iconic coat of arms as a trademark across the 27-nation European Union.
It stated:"The symbols in question would be seen as contrary to public policy and to accepted principles of morality by a substantial section of the relevant public living in the part of the European Union which has been subject to the Soviet regime."
The court singled out EU member states such as Latvia and the Czech Republic which were either part of the Soviet Union or Soviet satellite states.
It also noted that in Hungary such Soviet-era symbols "are considered to be 'symbols of despotism' and their use is contrary to public policy." » | Andrew Osborn, Moscow | Wednesday, September 21, 2011
