A court in Switzerland has ruled that Jägermeister’s logo – a stag with a shining white cross between its antlers – is not religiously offensive.
The German spirit brand had attempted to expand its trademark to cosmetics and entertainment services but the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property attempted to restrict Jägermeister’s use of the logo solely to alcohol bottles and items of clothing, arguing that the logo could offend the country’s Christians.
The story behind the logo stems from an old Christian story of Saint Hubertus, an eighth-century Belgian who was so passionate about hunting that he often neglected his religious duties. One Good Friday, while he was patrolling the forests, a stag with a glowing cross between its antlers appeared before him and a heavenly voice told him to get back to his godly tasks.
The Federal Administrative Court in St Gallen rejected the case, ruling that the “intensive” use of the logo had “weakened its religious character” over time, making the chance of genuine offence unlikely, Swissinfo reported. It was found that today the average consumer associates the logo clearly with the Jägermeister brand and that nobody was likely to be offended.
The company is now free to use it for all promotional activities and products in Switzerland including cosmetics, mobile phones or telecommunications services.
