Sweden wants to trademark… Sweden.
This unprecedented move, announced Tuesday by press release, highlights something I encountered just yesterday: the growing challenge of protecting product names in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
A B2B client’s perfect product name hit a wall — they couldn’t register it because a completely different product in an overlapping trademark class had claimed similar territory.
Different industry, different use case, same legal headache.
Sweden faces a similar challenge. Their tourism bureau wants to distinguish “the original Sweden” from other places using their name.
They’re seeking trademark protection through the European Union Intellectual Property Office — hoping to become the first nation to trademark itself.
The motivation? Other locations calling themselves “Sweden” allegedly create confusion for tourists seeking the authentic land of ABBA, meatballs, and midnight sun.
It’s hard to imagine someone booking a flight to the wrong Sweden, but apparently 8% of travellers do.
And what are the implications? Would the Country Sweden cease-and-desist the other 7 places in the world that have been long known by the same name? 🤔
Product naming has never been harder:
- Trademark databases grow daily
- Classes overlap in unexpected ways
- Digital presence amplifies conflicts
- Global markets multiply complexity
- Legal costs mount quickly
Smart product makers:
- Search extensively before committing
- Consider trademark implications early
- Budget for proper protection
- Build contingency naming options
- Think globally from the start
If a country of 11 million people struggles with name protection, imagine the challenge for individual products, like the client I mentioned.
What naming challenges have you encountered? How did you overcome them?
Laurier
P.S. My legal friends remind me: you can love a name, but until you’ve cleared and registered it, don’t get too attached. Naming is one of the hardest things we do, and getting it right is massively important.