France: Does Kadjar refer to the Iranian dynasty or to the new Renault crossover?

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

France: Does Kadjar refer to the Iranian dynasty or to the new Renault crossover?

Karim Kadjar, an actor and descendant of the Iranian Kadjar dynasty which reigned over Iran from 1786 to 1925, did not appreciate the adoption by the French company Renault of the name Kadjar as a trade mark and keyword on internet search engines for designating its new crossover utility vehicle.

Indeed, in January 2015, Renault launched its new crossover with French and European trade marks for Kadjar in class 12 for "vehicles".

Consequently, Karim Kadjar filed a cancellation action against the French trade mark Kadjar (number 144065320) before the Tribunal de Grande Instance (TGI) in March 2015 based on Aticle L711-4 of the French IP Code which states that "a mark may not be adopted if it infringes earlier rights including… g) the personality rights of a third party including his surname…" and on provisions of general civil law (Articles 9 and 1382 of the Civil Code).

The question is whether there is a risk of confusion or a risk of association for the relevant public, which is the average French consumer of vehicles, between the trade mark and this family name and if the surname Kadjar was famous when the trade mark was filed.

The TGI issued a decision on June 9 2016 considering that, on the filing date of the trade mark, despite the important volume of evidence, the family name has a limited reputation in France, except for a very specific public interested in Iranian history.

Therefore, in the absence of reputation of this family name, there is no likelihood of confusion for the relevant consumer.

Is this trade mark deceptive ?

Karim Kadjar considers that the trade mark misleads the consumer, who may consider that the goods are manufactured in Iran or with the heirs' authorisation. The French TGI also rejects this argument, considering that there is no risk of confusion, and therefore the consumer cannot be deceived, due to the lack of notoriety of this family name.

At this stage, Renault can continue the sale of its Renault Kadjar.

Nevertheless this is a reminder that it is important to conduct searches and check the possible notoriety of a family name before adopting a new trade mark consisting of a family name.

ingrid.jpg

Ingrid Corviole-Parent


Gevers & Ores41, avenue de FriedlandParis 75008, FranceTel: +33 1 45 00 48 48Fax: +33 1 40 67 95 67paris@gevers.euwww.gevers.eu

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

A seminal decision concerning second medical use patents and questions over confidentiality were among the top talking points this fortnight
Managing IP considers some of the key themes from the 2025 Annual Meeting and offers some tips for London 2026
A comparison of the 2024 and 2025 editions of the Managing IP EMEA Awards reveals the firms and companies that have been dominating Europe’s IP market year after year
Tuesday's coverage includes BD tips for aspiring partners, and a foray into the world of SEPs
Exclusive data reveals law firms are failing to go above and beyond for their corporate clients, with in-house counsel saying advisers should consider more transparent billing processes
Arty Rajendra and Gary Moss discuss why ‘thorough and intense’ preparation, plus the odd glass of wine, led to a record FRAND victory for their client
Monday’s coverage includes news of a potentially 'game-changing' trademark development in China and how practitioners are using AI
Managing IP gives a taster of the numbers behind this year’s IP STARS trademark rankings, and looks back at our 2025 award winners
Updates from IP offices, the shifting requirements of in-house counsel, and news of London 2026 were among major talking points on Sunday
Etienne Sanz de Acedo discusses the association’s three-year plan, what he is looking forward to in San Diego, and why London came calling for 2026
Gift this article