Sweden, home of ABBA, meatballs, comfy sofas, and the midnight sun, has decided it needs to defend its brand. The nordic nation has announced that it will seek trademark protections for its own name (“Sweden”) from European Union Intellectual Property Office. If its request is granted, it will become the first country in the world with a trademarked name.
This news was announced this week via a press release from the nation’s tourism bureau, Visit Sweden. “Did you know that there are eight places in the world called Sweden?” Visit Sweden’s website says. “That’s why we’re sending an application to trademark our country’s name. In the meantime, we’ll teach you how to distinguish the original from the dupes.” Dupes here appears to be a cute way of referring to “duplicates.”
Personally, I had no idea that there were other places called Sweden. Business Insider mentions a number of U.S. communities—in states like Missouri, Maine, and South Carolina—that have the same moniker.
Relevantly, Business Insider also notes that it is not typically possible for countries to trademark their names, unless they are considered a “destination” and, thus, a brand. In effect, Sweden’s tourism bureau is trying to codify and protect the commercial value of its homeland.
“’Visit the Original Sweden’ is a campaign that aims to separate the original from the dupes,” Visit Sweden’s website continues. “The fact that other countries are using the name Sweden is flattering, but the more Swedens there are in the world, the more confusing it becomes for potential tourists.”
Truthfully, this seems less like a way to avoid traveler “confusion,” and more like a really good marketing opportunity for Sweden’s tourism bureau. I sorta doubt that lots of people book flights for the wrong Sweden and end up in an entirely different country than the one they intended to visit. You’d have to be pretty, uh, stupid to book a flight for South Carolina and think you’re somehow going to land in Scandinavia. I also don’t really see how formalized intellectual property is going to help a person who is that navigationally challenged.
It’s also unclear if trademarking its own name is going to be a new way for the Nordic nation to generate revenue. After all, if Sweden commercially owns its name, it stands to reason that it may also be able to charge outside parties for commercial use of its “brand,” though it’s unclear if that is the plan.
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