General Electric Company Prevailed in Trademark Opposition for its Iconic “GE” Brand

On April 29, 2026, Taiwan’s IP Office (“TIPO”) cancelled a trademark “泉科綠能G & device”, finding the contested trademark to be confusingly similar to General Electric Company‘s (“General Electric”) famous “GE” trademarks (e.g., Reg. No. 00001021, 00091183, 00553406, 00916541, 00124581, 00124595, 00124582, 01334183, and 01334187, see below).

The contested trademark, “泉科綠能G & device” (Reg. No. 02370628, see below), was filed on September 7, 2023, and registered on April 16, 2024, covering various kinds of service in Class 37, including construction of hydroelectric power plant, wind power plant, wave power plant, solar power plant, and geothermal power plant; mechanical installation, maintenance and repair; gas stations, vehicle charging stations, vehicle battery charging services, etc. General Electric filed trademark opposition on July 15, 2024, alleging that registration of the contested trademark violated Articles 30.1.10, 30.1.11, and 30.1.12 of Trademark Act.

In its determination rendered on April 29, 2026, TIPO found the contested trademark shall be cancelled based on Article 30.1.11:

1.        Article 30.1.11 of Trademark Act provides that a mark shall not be registered if such a mark is identical or similar to another’s well-known trademark, and hence may cause confusion among the relevant consumers, or harm the distinctiveness or reputation of such well-known trademark.

2.        On the issue of well-known status, TIPO observed that General Electric’s cited trademarks were registered in Taiwan as early as 1954, and have since been used in wide range of products and services, such as electrical products, computers, household appliances, medical equipments, engineering plastics, building materials, transportation machinery, engines, power plant construction, etc. General Electric also actively participated in various kinds of major industrial projects in Taiwan since 1950, including international airport, national highways, cycle power generation, and energy solution. Its iconic “GE” brand was recognized as one of the most valuable brands, and has been ranked among the 2000 worldwide leading enterprises by Forbes. Thus, TIPO affirmed that prior to the filing date of the contested trademark, “GE” trademarks had been well-known among the general public in Taiwan.  

3.        On the issue of similarity, while the contested trademark consists of an image of flame, the letter “G” with three horizontal lines, and the Chinese characters “泉科綠能”, TIPO particularly noted that the arrangement of the letter “G” and the three parallel lines bear similarity with English letters “GE”, which resembles General Electric’s “GE” icons. Indeed, the variation of lengths of the three horizontal lines resembles the English letter “E”. Therefore, TIPO concluded that the contested trademark is visually, phonetically, and conceptually similar to the “GE” icons.

4.        Given that General Electric’s “GE” icons are distinctive and have been used in Taiwan in various services and products for a very long time, TIPO agreed that the relevant consumers would be more familiar with General Electric’s “GE” brand. Further, the services covered by the contested trademark are related to energy and electricity, which overlap with the categories covered by General Electric’s trademarks. 

In view of the similarity between the two trademarks, the well-known status and strong brand recognition of General Electric’s “GE” brand, and the overlap of service categories, TIPO concluded that the contested trademark may cause confusion with the well-known “GE” trademarks. The registration of the contested trademark was cancelled accordingly.

 

Source: https://cloud.tipo.gov.tw/S282/S282WV1/#/written-result-details/disposition?issueKey=doNQI%2BOgB84drPtKF96n1WG%2BiuzGkAirhkXo