UEFA failed to register its well-known logo as a copyrighted work in the US

The European Football Association UEFA failed in its attempt to register the following well-known logo as a copyrighted work in US Copyright Office:

Although this registration is not mandatory it is helpful in particular of copyright infringements and lawsuits.

The reason for this refusal was a lack of originality which is one of the main requirements for such registration. Despite the low level of originality which is necessary to protect a copyright work in the case at hand the Office considered that this is not accomplished because the mere combination of stars in a circle is insufficient in that regard.

UEFA tried its best to claim that this logo was original at least because it creates a three-dimensional illusion in the consumer mind, but all to no avail. The Office dismissed this leaning on Section 310 (3) of US Copyright Office Practice, according to which the Office would only need to consider the objective appearance of the work and not the “symbolic meaning or impression” that a work may evoke.

Source: IP KAT.

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