Pablo Escobar’s Brother Now Also Fails To Get EU Trademark On His Brother’s Name

from the trademark-is-a-hell-of-a-law dept

Roberto Escobar appears to want to keep banging his head against this particular brick wall for some reason. Roberto, brother to infamous drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, has been trying to assert trademark and other rights to his brother’s name for years now. It started in Columbia, in which the country flat out refused to grant him the mark out of concern that the public would not be served by any commerce occurring using that name, given its history. Then he tried to extort a billion dollars out of Netflix over the show Narcos under the novel theory that his relationship with his brother and his distaste for the creative license used within the show. That ended up in an undisclosed settlement.

And now Roberto has failed once more, this time in his attempt to secure a trademark for his brother’s name in the EU.

The General Court of the European Court of Justice denied an appeal from Roberto Escobar, the brother of the late Medellín Cartel leader, who asked the Luxembourg-based court to overturn a rejection from the EU’s trademark office to protect the name “Pablo Escobar.” 

Consumers would “associate the name of Pablo Escobar with drug trafficking and narco-terrorism and with the crimes and suffering resulting therefrom,” the court wrote. 

The board went on to remind Roberto, who really shouldn’t need to be reminded, that the body count his brother rung up is at least in the triple digits and that he is also most famous for his work as a narcotics kingpin. Roberto, laughably, claimed that denying the trademark due to his brother’s involvement in the drug trade was not valid since Pablo had never been convicted of any crimes specifically on the drugs side of things. Roberto also acknowledges having worked for, and going to jail for, being a member of the Medellin Cartel. Pretending like any of this hinges on the technicality over what specifically Pablo was convicted of is hilarious.

Look, this is a money-grab, and one that Roberto has been working on long before his brother found himself with an extra hole in his head on a rooftop in Columbia.

Prior to his brother’s death in a police raid in 1993, Roberto Escobar had already sought to capitalize on the family name. He registered a company in Colombia in 1984 and has brought legal action against companies that have referenced Escobar. 

Pending any appeal in the EU courts, it appears Roberto has racked up another loss with this latest attempt to capitalize on his infamous brother’s name.

Filed Under: , , ,

Rate this comment as insightful
Rate this comment as funny
You have rated this comment as insightful
You have rated this comment as funny
Flag this comment as abusive/trolling/spam
You have flagged this comment
The first word has already been claimed
The last word has already been claimed
Insightful Lightbulb icon Funny Laughing icon Abusive/trolling/spam Flag icon Insightful badge Lightbulb icon Funny badge Laughing icon Comments icon

Comments on “Pablo Escobar’s Brother Now Also Fails To Get EU Trademark On His Brother’s Name”

Subscribe: RSS Leave a comment
16 Comments
That One Guy (profile) says:

'When you think 'Escobar' think- actually never mind.'

Most people, upon having one of their immediate relatives turn out to be a mass-murdering head of a criminal organization would probably try to downplay or ignore the relation, but I guess Roberto Escobar is either shameless, greedy and/or desperate enough for cash that he’s decided to full on embrace the name and act like there’s nothing wrong with it.

Sadly for him it would appear that courts across the globe are not so quick to forget and aren’t too keen on slapping their approval on such a tainted legacy.

Monkblu apperals (user link) says:

Welcome to MonkBlu Fashion Street, where every garment tells a story of profound experience and timeless elegance. For years, we have honed our craft, infusing each design with a wealth of wisdom and creativity. Our dedicated team of graphic designers and t-shirt artisans pours their passion into every stitch and print, ensuring that each piece is a masterpiece of artistry and innovation.
Buy Best Street Fashion Garment

Add Your Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have a Techdirt Account? Sign in now. Want one? Register here

Comment Options:

Make this the or (get credits or sign in to see balance) what's this?

What's this?

Techdirt community members with Techdirt Credits can spotlight a comment as either the "First Word" or "Last Word" on a particular comment thread. Credits can be purchased at the Techdirt Insider Shop »

Follow Techdirt

Techdirt Daily Newsletter

Ctrl-Alt-Speech

A weekly news podcast from
Mike Masnick & Ben Whitelaw

Subscribe now to Ctrl-Alt-Speech »
Techdirt Deals
Techdirt Insider Discord
The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...
Loading...