Albert Home
On Instagram, Coolblue CEO Pieter Zwart introduced Coolblue’s ´new´ line of kitchen appliances this week. Zwart explained that he considered launching them under Coolblue’s private label, “BlueBuilt.” However, he joked in the video that it didn’t feel original enough. After some thought, he landed on a brand name rooted in the basics, food, and home: a tribute to his father, whose name Albert inspired the new brand name: “Albert Home.”
Raised Eyebrows
Coolblue’s response to supermartket Albert Heijn’s Blue Home launch quickly attracted online attention, and Albert Heijn is likely less than thrilled to be labeled as “unoriginal.” But could they have seen it coming? It’s hard to imagine that no one at Albert Heijn realized that using “Blue” (with “Home” in very small text) for kitchen appliances might raise eyebrows at the famous Dutch retailer Coolblue, which also sells kitchen appliances and has a private label called BlueBuilt.
European Trademark for Albert Home
Coolblue’s playful jab might have ended there, but it looked briefly as if the company was planning to take it further. On October 17, Coolblue applied for a European trademark for “Albert Home,” covering exactly the same household products for which Ahold has registered “Blue Home.” Quite a move! Wasn’t the launch of Albert Home just a joke? Why register it as a European trademark? Such a registration could lead to a significant legal clash with Albert Heijn, which values its “Albert” brand.
Trademark Withdrawn
However, things did not escalate, as Coolblue withdrew its European registration for Albert Home just one day later, on October 18. A change of heart? We don’t know, as an email to Coolblue’s press office went unanswered. Well, it seems that this joke from Coolblue will likely remain just that, and parties won’t have to fight over whether a brand like BLUE Home infringes on trademarks like Coolblue and Bluebuilt.
Dit bericht op Instagram bekijken
Bas Kist
