Rzeczpospolita reports on an extremely interesting turn of events in the dispute between Poczta Polska and InPost over the trademarks of their parcel machines.
The dispute began in 2015 and primarily concerned the name Paczkomat.
Parcel locker for InPost
In order to best outline the axis of this dispute, I have looked into the Patent Office registers today, from which an interesting picture emerges. InPost obtained the right to use the Paczkomat trademark – January 29, 2009.
In the registers of the Patent Office I found another entry related to the Paczkomat trademark, dated 20 March 2015, with the status – application published.
Unfortunately, the details of this application display a blank page. Nevertheless, in the same year – which may have been related to this application, Poczta Polska filed an application with the Patent Office to invalidate the Paczkomaty trademark. According to our national postal operator, a name consisting of common, colloquial or common terms cannot be reserved. According to Poczta Polska, a trademark can only be a name that does not directly describe the type of product or service, and Paczkomat clearly indicates a parcel machine.
A year later, the application was dismissed, so Poczta Polska filed a complaint to the Provincial Administrative Court in Warsaw, which overturned the UP decision in 2017. InPost, in turn, filed a cassation appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court, which has not ruled on it to this day (source: Vestibule) or the decision was not made public.
However, since 2022, InPost has been regularly receiving approvals for further trademark reservations related to Parcel Lockers, so it can be assumed that the topic is closed. The situation is different with the topic of Post Offices.
Post office for the Polish Post
The Pocztomat trademark was first attempted to be registered by InPost on 7 February 2015. Note the similarity of dates; Poczta Polska could have retaliated for this attempt by filing an application to invalidate the Paczkomat trademark.
However, the Patent Office refused to grant InPost this trademark, so Poczta Polska filed the same application on 20 October 2015, but with the same result – refusal.
Interestingly, it renewed its application for the Pocztomat trademark this year – on March 5, 2024. This application is being written about Republicand more specifically about the status of this application, which I found on the Patent Office website – Opposition proceedings in progress.
Rzeczpospolita unofficially determined that the objection was filed by InPost. In my opinion, it was unfair; Pocztomaty would be a good and adequate name for parcel machines that Poczta Polska is now putting up, instead of the not-so-nice-sounding name Pocztex Automat.
Although I know what this may result from, InPost is probably afraid of confusing these names, after all, in pronunciation Paczkomat is very close to Pocztomat. As we know, InPost has been scrupulously taking care for years to ensure that their parcel machines are not confused with any other newly created ones and prohibits (with the help of the legal department) calling them parcel machines.
Paid machines, or a new dispute on the horizon
Out of curiosity, I also looked at the Patent Office’s website for entries on the subject of Pakomaty, which are already being used quite freely and openly by the creator of the new 7BOX parcel machines. Both in press releases and on their website. page.
However, the Pakomat trademark has been registered since 2022, while the 7BOX trademark application is still pending, but after the period in which an opposition could be filed.
InPost also wanted to reserve the utility model for parcel lockers
It was almost impossible to launch any competition for Parcel Lockers today, because InPost tried in 2012 to reserve both the functional properties of the devices themselves and filed a patent application for modular Parcel Lockers. Both applications were met with a refusal to grant exclusive rights.
A post office for Poczta Polska? I’m all for it, and you?
I promised a survey in the title, it will be just two questions – please let me know what you think about it?
Source: Republic/UP RP.
Stock Image from Depositphotos.
Source: antyweb.pl
