A trademark enables us to distinguish an enterprise for certain goods and services. An application to register SWEDEN has been filed by Visit Sweden as a certification mark in respect of the provision of travel information.
Sweden has become the first country to file a trademark application for its country name through the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#details/trademarks/019129606
Other EU countries have previously registered analogous marks. For example, the Spanish tourist office registered an Espana logo:
https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#details/trademarks/009606518
In 2010 the Italian authorities registered an Italia logo:
https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#details/trademarks/008385692
So, what’s the need for the trademark? Visit Sweden asserts that it is to protect national identity and distinguish the original Sweden from what it is calling the ‘dupes’. News to most of us, I’m sure, but there are seven other Sweden’s around the world (six in the US and one in Indonesia)!
Visit Sweden asserts that a trademark registration would help reduce the chance of travel mix-ups that it claims 11% of Americans have experienced due to destination name duplications.
“We’re flattered that others want to be called Sweden, but we’d prefer if there were only one. Our Sweden. The one with the lakes, islands, forests, and the world’s best flat-pack furniture,” Susanne Andersson, CEO of Visit Sweden, said in the press release.
Visit Sweden also claims that there is significant confusion between Sweden and Switzerland. From its website it seems that the trademark application may be as much a tongue-in-cheek marketing tactic as a serious concern:
https://visitsweden.com/sweden-not-switzerland
Given that none of the ‘competitor’ Swedens are within the EU the value of a trademark registration covering the provision of travel information may be questionable.
But could it start a trend? Duplicated names are very common around the world, with there being 28 Londons and 8 Frances!
This is not the first time trademarking a country name has been up for discussion. The legal dispute between Iceland (the country) and Iceland Foods (the British supermarket) has been ongoing since 2016.
As a result of the Icelandic government claiming the mark to be “ambiguous in definition, often rendering the country’s firms unable to describe their products as Icelandic”, in April 2019 the EUIPO invalidated the Iceland trademark owned by the supermarket chain; this decision was upheld in a ruling of July 2025:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland_v_Iceland_Foods_Ltd
On 15 July 2025 the EUIPO issued a decision refusing Visit Sweden’s trademark application on grounds that ‘the sign has a clear descriptive meaning, it is also devoid of any distinctive character and therefore ineligible for registration under Article 7(1)(b) EUTMR’ and also that under ‘Article 83 EUTMR, an EU certification mark which is perceived by the relevant public as certifying the geographical origin of goods or services is excluded from registration.’
The decision may be appealed, so we currently wait to see if Visit Sweden has the appetite for a fight, or if the ruling on the registrability of ICELAND is sufficient to deter any appeal.
