{"id":34760,"date":"2026-07-24T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/?p=34760"},"modified":"2026-07-24T09:29:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T07:29:23","slug":"four-20-as-a-trademark-is-too-similar-to-code-for-cannabis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/four-20-as-a-trademark-is-too-similar-to-code-for-cannabis\/","title":{"rendered":"Four 20 Pharma as a trademark is too close to code for cannabis"},"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=\"207015\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-34757 size-large not-transparent\" alt=\"Four 20 als Marke zu nah an Code f\u00fcr Cannabis, Markenrecht, Unterscheidungskraft, Rechtsanwalt\" src=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Four-20-als-Marke-zu-nah-an-Code-fuer-Cannabis-1024x576.jpg\" style=\"--dominant-color: #207015; object-position:50% 74%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"50% 74%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Four-20-als-Marke-zu-nah-an-Code-fuer-Cannabis-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Four-20-als-Marke-zu-nah-an-Code-fuer-Cannabis-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Four-20-als-Marke-zu-nah-an-Code-fuer-Cannabis-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Four-20-als-Marke-zu-nah-an-Code-fuer-Cannabis-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/Four-20-als-Marke-zu-nah-an-Code-fuer-Cannabis-2048x1152.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_c23ee9c304d7e963c274f924482cc981\" 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\">Four 20 Pharma<\/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\">too close to code for<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-contrast-color has-text-color has-link-color has-gigantic-font-size wp-elements-d063fe3d287065e19a728334de374e6e 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\">Cannabis<\/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=\"2026-07-24T09:00:00+02:00\">24. July 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">of<\/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>Is it sufficient for a term to be understood only by experts for a trademark to lack distinctiveness? Can a subculture code like \u201c4 20\u201d ever be protected as a trademark? What are the implications of this decision for companies seeking to register trademarks in the cannabis pharmaceutical sector?  <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-worum-geht-s\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s it about?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A company filed an application for the \u201cFour 20 Pharma\u201d mark as a word mark with the German Patent and Trademark Office on March 14, 2022. The application originally covered goods and services in <a href=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/thema\/nizza-klassifikation\/\" id=\"4763\">Classes<\/a> 5, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, and 42. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trademark Division for Class 5 of the German Patent and Trademark Office partially rejected the application by decision dated February 28, 2023. The rejection affected numerous goods in Class 5 related to pharmaceuticals or medicine, commercial and advertising services in Class 35, and research services in Class 42, to the extent that they were related to cannabis. The remaining classes covered by the application were not affected by the rejection. In its reasoning, the Trademark Division stated that the number sequence \u201c420\u201d and its written variant \u201cFour 20\u201d are used in common parlance as a reference to the consumption of cannabis.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On April 4, 2023, the applicant filed an appeal against this decision with the Federal Patent Court. She argued that the origin and exact meaning of the number sequence \u201c420\u201d were unclear, and that the relevant circles in the medical and pharmaceutical fields did not associate the term with the consumer culture of illegal cannabis use. Furthermore, the addition of \u201cPharma\u201d distanced the mark from a scene-specific interpretation and conferred the necessary distinctiveness on the mark as a whole.  <\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-entscheidung-des-bundespatentgerichts\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Decision of the Federal Patent Court<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 25th Senate of the Federal Patent Court dismissed the appeal on the grounds that  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bundespatentgericht.de\/SharedDocs\/Entscheidungen\/DE\/2026\/25533-23_02072026.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&amp;v=1\">Decision of July 2, 2026 \u2013 Case No. 25 W (pat) 533\/23 <\/a>  Back.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Senate assumed that the trademark consisted of two components: \u201cFour 20\u201d and \u201cPharma.\u201d The first component, in various spellings such as 420, 4:20, or 4\/20, is an established code for cannabis use and is frequently used to identify with cannabis culture. The fact that the exact history of the expression\u2019s origin has not been conclusively clarified does not preclude this. Vague or ambiguous origins do not deprive catchphrase-like terms of their descriptive effect, because such terms serve precisely to capture a topic in general terms. The Senate interpreted the second component, \u201cPharma,\u201d as a common abbreviation for pharmaceutical products without any independent additional meaning. When combined, the mark conveys the meaning \u201ccannabis-based medicines.\u201d     <\/p>\n\n<h3 id=\"h-massgebliche-verkehrskreise\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">relevant public<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Central to the decision was the question of which relevant public should be taken into account for the assessment. The Senate expressly acknowledged that the term \u201c420\u201d was not widely known to the general public. However, this did not apply to the relevant specialized public in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. This group is generally sufficiently informed about terminology in the context of the substances it manufactures, trades in, and researches\u2014including colloquial terms or code words, even if these originally originated from the illegal sphere. To support this assessment, the Senate itself researched examples from pharmacy practice, such as pharmacy product names like \u201c420brokkoli\u201d or \u201cRemedium420,\u201d as well as a technical article from a telemedicine platform on \u201c420 Day.\u201d    <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group v4-pattern-general-quote-box has-kpw-yellow-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\">According to the case law of the highest court, even the perception of the relevant trade circles\u2014which are considered a key segment of the relevant public\u2014is sufficient to preclude trademark registration.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the Senate\u2019s view, it is therefore sufficient that experts alone recognize the descriptive nature of the sign; an understanding by the general public is not required.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On this basis, the Senate affirmed that there was a descriptive connection to virtually all of the rejected goods and services. In the case of goods that could explicitly contain cannabis, the connection was obvious. With regard to commercial services, established case law holds that there is, in any event, a close descriptive connection to the goods being traded. Even with regard to advertising services and business management, the Senate found a descriptive element because, in its view, the term referred not only to a single product but to an entire business sector, namely the manufacture and distribution of cannabis-based medicines. Even in the case of mineral water and mineral salts, the Senate found a sufficient connection because these products could be used in the cultivation of cannabis plants.    <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Senate expressly left open the question of whether the ground for refusal based on a descriptive indication also applied, because the lack of distinctiveness was sufficient in itself to justify the rejection.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-fazit\" 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 decision makes it clear that the understanding of those skilled in the art is, in and of itself, sufficient to deny a trademark distinctiveness.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, it remains open to critical scrutiny on what empirical basis such an understanding of the field is established, given that the court essentially gathers the relevant evidence itself from the Internet.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also remains unclear whether extending the descriptive reference to goods such as mineral water does not already exceed the limits of what is considered a reasonable market perception.  <\/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_6d5b8f36192800250d822def05f6943a\" 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>The Federal Patent Court (BPatG) rejected the trademark application for \u201cFour 20 Pharma\u201d because those skilled in the art understand \u201c420\u201d as a cannabis code and the trademark lacks distinctiveness.<\/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":[6215,5453,5457,5802],"thema":[],"rechtsgebiet":[],"produkt":[],"class_list":["post-34760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-cannabis","tag-distinctive-character","tag-distinctive-character-under-trademark-law","tag-lack-of-distinctiveness"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.9 (Yoast SEO v27.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>&quot;Four 20&quot; as a trademark is too similar to code for cannabis<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Federal Patent Court (BPatG) rejected the trademark application for 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