Ben almost outlawed

For a short time, it looked as though the commonly used phrase 'I am Ben' would change into 'I was Ben'. Until T-Mobile, which took over Ben at the end of 2002, decided to breathe new life into the brand in February of this year.  With a new campaign and a different product, Ben is back on the market as an independent part of T-Mobile. Because many people more often need another subscription than another phone, Ben will put a popular product on the market: no phones, just SIM card subscriptions. But is this the only reason that Ben was marketed again? Recently, Jansen & Tilanus, an underwear brand since 1869, attracted public attention again, but the initiative was not taken by the trademark holder Ten Cate BV. Because the trademark had not been used for more than five years, another party was able to use it. Is this permitted?  Yes, it is. An Amersfoort-based entrepreneur invoked the lapse of the trademark of Jansen & Tilanus before the district court and appropriated it. Would such stories have anything to do with the sudden return of Ben, exactly five years after we last heard about it? Who knows.

publicatiedatum: Friday, March 21, 2008