© PUMA SE

Special prize "Kreativ-Schmarotzer" - T-shirt "PUMA" logo

Left Original: PUMA SE, Herzogenaurach, Germany
Right Counterfeit: Streetwall 68 GmbH, Wülfrath, Germany

The supposedly humorous alteration, which appears creative at first glance and may cause a brief smile, represents a serious infringement of the word/figurative mark for renowned brand manufacturers such as Puma. PUMA" becomes "PUMBA" - the leaping wild cat becomes the leaping warthog Pumbaa from Walt Disney's "The Lion King". In fact, this parody copies all the key structural features of the Puma logo: the same font, the leaping animal. Due to the high recognition value of the well-known brand, the parody attracts attention in a way that another Pumba depiction could not. The good reputation of the well-known trademark is being unfairly exploited. The Hamburg Regional Court also found this to be the case and prohibited Streetwall from offering T-shirts in the EU with Pumba lettering and the outline of a warthog in a stretched jump.