{"id":33520,"date":"2026-06-03T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/?p=33520"},"modified":"2026-06-02T12:17:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T10:17:57","slug":"candle-eater-partially-protectable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/candle-eater-partially-protectable\/","title":{"rendered":"Candle eater partially protectable"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull v4-pattern-hero v4-pattern-hero--post is-style-background-blend is-style-arrow has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull v4-pattern-hero__cover\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);min-height:75vh;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img data-dominant-color=\"186f3f\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"585\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-33507 size-large not-transparent\" alt=\"Kerzenfresser teilweise als Marke schutzf\u00e4hig, Markenrecht, Rechtsanwalt\" src=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kerzenfresser-teilweise-schutzfaehig-1024x585.jpg\" style=\"--dominant-color: #186f3f; object-position:50% 89%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"50% 89%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kerzenfresser-teilweise-schutzfaehig-1024x585.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kerzenfresser-teilweise-schutzfaehig-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kerzenfresser-teilweise-schutzfaehig-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kerzenfresser-teilweise-schutzfaehig-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kerzenfresser-teilweise-schutzfaehig-2048x1170.jpg 2048w\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-base-background-color has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:5em\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-97ba1214 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-a6a2a725 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\r\n<h1 id=\"multirow-headline-block_b096c918757b362ac27cbb0cba28bcce\" class=\"wp-block-visual4-multirow-headline\">\r\n    <div class=\"wp-block-visual4-multirow-headline\">\n\n<p class=\"has-gigantic-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:1;text-transform:uppercase\">Candle eater<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-huge-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:15%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:1;text-transform:uppercase\">Partly<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-contrast-color has-text-color has-link-color has-gigantic-font-size wp-elements-8903f3726e545585b9d8ab76b9c08ae0 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:1;text-transform:uppercase\"><span class=\"v4-marker-highlight-background\"><span class=\"v4-marker-highlight-background\">protectable<\/span><\/span><span class=\"v4-marker-highlight-background\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/div> \r\n<\/h1>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-small-font-size is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-878d3859 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:italic;font-weight:300;text-transform:uppercase\"><div style=\"font-style:italic;font-weight:300;text-transform:uppercase\" class=\"wp-block-post-date has-small-font-size\"><time datetime=\"2026-06-03T09:00:00+02:00\">3. June 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">from<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"font-style:italic;font-weight:600\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\">Clemens Pfitzer<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-3b99a472 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can Kerzenfresser be protected as a trademark for candle products and lamps? What does it mean if your own product becomes a generic name?  <\/strong>The Federal Patent Court provides answers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-was-ist-ein-kerzenfresser\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a candle eater?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A candle eater is a container with a special wick. It is designed to collect and burn candle residue. It is a refillable permanent candle consisting of a heat-resistant container and a permanent wick. The term has obviously been common on the German market for years, sometimes under synonyms such as &#8220;candle residue eater&#8221;, &#8220;wax eater&#8221; or &#8220;melting light&#8221;.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The applicant, who had been seeking protection for the word mark &#8220;KERZENFRESSER&#8221; since 2022, manufactures precisely such products, including so-called concrete candles with a permanent wick. The problem: both the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) and the Federal Patent Court did not consider the term to be a trademark, but rather a product description. <\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-warum-scheitert-der-begriff-als-marke\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why does the term fail as a trademark?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his  <a href=\"https:\/\/dejure.org\/ext\/bdcc7a0f513ee59698e2e5c1e23d3ae9\">Decision of 13.05.2026 &#8211; Ref. 28 W (pat) 528\/23 <\/a>  the Federal Patent Court analyzed the term in its two components: &#8220;Kerze&#8221; is self-explanatory and &#8220;fressen&#8221; is used in German not only in the literal sense of eating, but also in the figurative sense of consuming or using up. Classic examples are &#8220;electricity guzzler&#8221;, &#8220;memory guzzler&#8221; or &#8220;space guzzler&#8221;. This formulation is also common for fire and flames: flames are said to &#8220;eat&#8221; grass or an engine &#8220;eats&#8221; petrol.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From this combination it follows for the court that the designation &#8220;KERZENFRESSER&#8221; is directly understood as a factual indication, namely as a designation for a device that consumes or burns candle (residues). Such a descriptive meaning excludes trademark protection. <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group v4-pattern-general-quote-box has-kpw-turquoise-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70)\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this respect, the word combination applied for is linguistically customary and grammatically correct and consists of the designation of an object and an actor (cf. common word combinations such as car driver, water carrier, shoe salesman,<br\/>dishwasher and many more). <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-das-kuken-im-gefass-warum-kerze-als-kerzenfresser-kein-widerspruch-ist\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The chick in the jar: why &#8220;candle as candle eater&#8221; is not a contradiction in terms<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The applicant argued that the term was inappropriate when applied to candles, because a candle that is a &#8220;candle eater&#8221; would be a &#8220;cannibalistic feeding&#8221; candle. However, the court did not accept this argument. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The special feature of the candle eater is that it is itself a candle that burns other candle residues. In its own application, the applicant claimed &#8220;wax-filled concrete vessels with a permanent wick&#8221;, i.e. exactly what is described as a candle eater. The apparent contradiction is therefore not an argument against the descriptive meaning, but proof of it.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One detail from the proceedings that got the applicant into serious trouble is particularly revealing: she had advertised her products herself with the slogan &#8220;Tidal fire &#8211; the original among candle eaters&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It had thus used the term as a generic term and not as an indication of origin. The court considered this to be additional evidence that &#8220;Kerzenfresser&#8221; does not designate a trademark but a product category. Anyone who positions their product as the &#8220;original of a genus&#8221; confirms that this genus exists.  <\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-erlauterungsbedarf-schutzt-nicht-er-schadet\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The need for explanation does not protect, it harms<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The applicant argued that the term &#8220;Kerzenfresser&#8221; had to be regularly explained and was therefore distinctive. However, the court reversed this argument. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A descriptive term is often explained precisely when the function of the product is to be clarified. If someone explains what a &#8220;candle eater&#8221; is, this proves its factual meaning, not its peculiarity as an indication of origin. Trademarks, on the other hand, are usually not explained, as they refer to a manufacturer without describing anything themselves.  <\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-die-uberraschende-ausnahme-warum-leuchtstoffe-durchkamen\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The surprising exception: Why fluorescent materials came through<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the extensive rejection, the appeal was successful in one respect: The decision of the DPMA for phosphors and their parts and accessories as well as the associated commercial services was revoked.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Phosphors are phosphorescent or fluorescent materials that store light or emit light when exposed to radiation. They have nothing to do with candles or candle residues. The court found that there is no descriptive link between the term &#8220;KERZENFRESSER&#8221; and this group of goods. A consumer who buys fluorescent materials will not understand the term as a product reference.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result illustrates an important principle: the question of protectability is always assessed on a product-specific basis. The same term can be descriptive for one product, but not for another. <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns v4-pattern-text-copy-half-col is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-f56f613f wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ruling shows that anyone who successfully markets their product and coins a term in the process runs the risk of this very term becoming generic and thus no longer eligible for <a href=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/rechtsgebiet\/markenrecht\/\" type=\"rechtsgebiet\" id=\"209\">trademark protection <\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trademarks that are formed from an actor and an object also quickly run the risk of being rejected as unprotectable &#8211; at least if the combination contains a reference to the corresponding goods or services.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80)\">\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide v4-pattern-cta-box has-secondary-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0c8cea62 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-right:0;padding-bottom:0\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignwide are-vertically-aligned-top v4-pattern-cta-box__columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-71c143ff wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top v4-pattern-cta-box__columns-column is-layout-flow wp-container-core-column-is-layout-fb77afb0 wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:0;flex-basis:60%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-right is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-1931a79c wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\r\n<div id=\"multirow-headline-block_559e5b706dceedbbcb5e7775b010253d\" class=\"wp-block-visual4-multirow-headline alignwide\">\r\n    <div class=\"wp-block-visual4-multirow-headline\">\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-huge-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:1;text-transform:uppercase\">We are happy to<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-x-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:8%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:0.9;text-transform:uppercase\">advise you about<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-huge-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:0.9;text-transform:uppercase\">Trademark law!<\/p>\n\n<\/div> \r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-9da75b5c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-visual4-contact-modal__button\">\r\n            \r\n        <div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\r\n            \r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-button v4-contact-modal-button is-style-fill\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" data-form-id=\"8\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-contrast-color has-base-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\">Contact form<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        \r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-style-mobile-only is-content-justification-left is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a768b15a wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-arrow is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-base-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"tel:4971141019030\" style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);font-style:normal;font-weight:600\">Call now!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top v4-pattern-cta-box__columns-column v4-pattern-cta-box__columns-column--image is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:40%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full v4-pattern-cta-box__columns-column__image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/themes\/kpw-law\/assets\/samples\/person-cropped.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23155\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is the trademark &#8220;KERZENFRESSER&#8221; protectable or a mere product description? The Federal Patent Court says: yes &#8211; and no.   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4904],"tags":[5433,6377,5335,5453,5434,6471],"thema":[4895,4897],"rechtsgebiet":[4898],"produkt":[],"class_list":["post-33520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-bpatg-en","tag-descriptive","tag-descriptive-use","tag-distinctive-character","tag-dpma-en","tag-generic-name","thema-marke-en","thema-markenformen-en","rechtsgebiet-markenrecht-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Candle eater partially protectable as a trademark<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is the trademark &quot;KERZENFRESSER&quot; protectable or a mere product description? The Federal Patent Court says: yes - and no.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/candle-eater-partially-protectable\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Candle eater partially protectable\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is the trademark &quot;KERZENFRESSER&quot; protectable or a mere product description? 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