Question juridique clé
Whether a single letter mark can be protected and whether the letter M is absolutely reserved from trademark protection for the relevant chocolate products.
Solution extraite
A single letter can in principle be a trademark under Art. 1(2) MSchG, and no absolute free-keeping need exists for the letter M for these chocolate products; protection may depend on acquired distinctiveness.
Motifs extraits
The court held that single letters belong to the common stock as elementary signs, but Art. 2(a) MSchG allows protection through use unless a concrete absolute free-keeping need exists for the goods concerned. For chocolate products, M is not shown to be indispensable as a descriptive sign.