Maersk's light blue colour is registered as a trademark

A.P. Møller - Mærsk A/S (Maersk) has now obtained a Danish trademark registration for the colour 'Pantone Maersk Blue' in class 39 for "sea freight transport". The trademark is a so-called colour trademark which means that the colour as such enjoys protection under the Danish Trademark Act. Plesner represented Maersk in the case.

The registration is historical, as this is only the second time that the Danish Patent and Trademark Office has registered a colour trademark in Denmark.

Maersk's colour trademark (VR 2018 02458) can be seen here:


Maersk documented, inter alia, that the colour had been used since 1886 and put forward a market survey which showed that 88% of the relevant public - without assistance - associates the colour in question with Maersk.

The Danish Patent and Trademark Office found, inter alia on these grounds, that the light blue colour had acquired distinctiveness through use within "sea freight transport" and that the colour therefore could be registered as a trademark.

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