Court of Appeals sides with Agora in disagreement over "Metro" trademark

The Warsaw Court of Appeals has rejected a motion presented by TPP, pu blisher of the free daily newspaper Metropol, which accused Agora, Poland's largest publisher and owner of Gazeta Wyborcza, of illegal use of the name "Metro" for their free newspaper, 50,000 copies of which are distributed daily in Warsaw. Agora seems to be holding fast, claiming to own the rights to the trademark "Metro" since 1998, and that TPP cannot print the Metropol title if the "pol" ending is covered or unseen. The court supported Agora's motion, claiming that people might confuse it with Gazeta Wyborcza's s upplement, which came to print before Metropol. The case has now been sent back to the economic court and could continue for another year. (Parkiet, p. 3) A.K.