https:\/\/www.index.hr\/magazin\/clanak\/mario-mandaric-je-vlasnik-ziga-kult-plave-kamenice-portal-kpk-odvjetnik-to-rjesava\/2716826.aspx<\/a>)<\/p>\nHowever, \u201cbad faith\u201d is not just a moral judgment or insult \u2014 it is a legal concept that can lead to a registered trademark being declared invalid (i.e. \u201ccancelled\u201d), even if it was formally filed and registered correctly.<\/p>\n
This text is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.<\/em><\/p>\n1) What does \u201cbad faith\u201d mean in trademark filing?<\/h2>\n
Simply put, bad faith occurs when someone files a trademark not to genuinely use it in business, but to:<\/p>\n
\n- block someone already using the name<\/li>\n
- force payment (buyout \/ licensing pressure)<\/li>\n
- take over someone else\u2019s reputation or audience<\/li>\n
- create leverage (oppositions, content removal, ad restrictions, account\/page shutdowns)<\/li>\n
- or generally gain an unfair advantage<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In practice, the key takeaway is:
\nA trademark is not a \u201cname reservation tool\u201d for blocking or leverage \u2014 it is a right that protects a sign used (or intended to be used honestly) in the market.<\/p>\n
2) How is \u201cbad faith\u201d proven?<\/h2>\n
Bad faith is rarely proven with a single statement or piece of evidence. It is usually established through a combination of circumstances.<\/p>\n
Typical \u201cred flags\u201d considered by courts and authorities include:<\/p>\n
\n- Did the applicant know (or should have known) about the existing sign?<\/li>\n
- Was the application aimed at blocking another business?<\/li>\n
- Is there a genuine intention to use the mark for own products\/services?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
It is important to note that bad faith is assessed at the time of filing, which makes proper documentation of timing (publication dates, invoices, campaigns, domain registrations, web archives) critical.<\/p>\n
Tips & Tricks<\/h2>\nTip #1 \u2013 Don\u2019t wait until your name becomes viral.<\/h2>\n
If you are building a name (media, studio, product, innovation, project, education), consider protection early \u2014 especially before major campaigns.<\/p>\n
Tip #2 \u2013 \u201cProof of first use\u201d is extremely valuable.<\/h2>\n
Keep:<\/p>\n
\n- first posts and ads<\/li>\n
- invoices\/offers<\/li>\n
- press and media mentions<\/li>\n
- screenshots (with timestamps)<\/li>\n
- domains, profiles, visuals, briefs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Tip #3 \u2013 Check before branding (name, domain, trademark).<\/h2>\n
A quick availability check can prevent future rebranding or disputes. You can always contact us and choose one of our services.<\/p>\n
Tip #4 \u2013 Don\u2019t file \u201csomeone else\u2019s\u201d name just to \u201csee if it passes\u201d.<\/h2>\n
This is a high-risk strategy: invalidation, legal costs, reputational damage \u2014 and potential claims for unfair competition\/damages (depending on circumstances).<\/p>\n
If you suspect someone has filed your name in bad faith, it is important to act quickly. In most cases, the \u201cwinner\u201d is the party with a stronger evidence timeline and a more convincing explanation of how the brand was built.<\/p>\n
Final takeaway<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cBad faith\u201d in trademark law is not just online drama \u2014 it is a legal ground for cancelling a registered trademark, especially where it is clear that the filing was used as a tool for blocking or exploiting someone else\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In recent media coverage, we increasingly see disputes between public figures, media outlets, and entrepreneurs, where the phrase \u201cfiled a trademark in bad faith\u201d is often used in the context of trademark registration. This phrase is becoming more common in disputes over names (media portals, restaurants, influencers, entrepreneurs) \u2014 for example in publicly discussed cases […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-tricks"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anvaconsulting.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anvaconsulting.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anvaconsulting.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anvaconsulting.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anvaconsulting.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/anvaconsulting.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":459,"href":"https:\/\/anvaconsulting.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248\/revisions\/459"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anvaconsulting.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anvaconsulting.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anvaconsulting.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anvaconsulting.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}