Contact us

Questions about your strategic brand development? 
Get expert advice from Louis-Philip Cattoir, IP &amp; Brand Strategist at Remarkable Europe.

Let’s talk about your challenge

Neem contact op

Vragen over jouw strategische merkontwikkeling? 
Krijg advies van Louis-Philip Cattoir, IP &amp; Merkstrateeg bij Remarkable Europe.

Laten we jouw uitdaging bespreken

Contact

Schrijf je in voor onze maandelijkse nieuwsbrief!

Thank you!

Bedankt!

Looking for more strategic, creative, and legal brand insights?

Wil je meer strategische, creatieve en juridische merkinzichten ontvangen?

Footer Bottom Menu

Footer Bottom Menu NL

Footer Menu EN

Footer Menu NL

Header Menu EN

Header Menu NL

For non-profits, trademark registration can be just as crucial as for commercial organisations. A recent case between Doctors Without Borders and Veterinarians Without Borders illustrates how even established organisations can face challenges when protecting a brand name.

Doctors Without Borders needs little introduction. Veterinarians Without Borders, on the other hand, is not a spin-off of the well-known aid organisation but an independent non-profit that has been active in animal health care for over 40 years. In the past, the organisation successfully registered a figurative mark (2017 and 2021), consisting of a logo with graphically distinctive elements. However, when they recently applied for a wordmark registration for &#8220;Veterinarians Without Borders,&#8221; they faced opposition from Doctors Without Borders.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4675 size-full" src="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/05/Remarkable-Europe_LogoDierenartsen-Zonder-Grenzen.png" alt="Remarkable-Europe_LogoDierenartsen-Zonder-Grenzen." width="400" height="175" srcset="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/05/Remarkable-Europe_LogoDierenartsen-Zonder-Grenzen.png 400w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/05/Remarkable-Europe_LogoDierenartsen-Zonder-Grenzen-300x131.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" />

The Case: Veterinarians Without Borders vs. Doctors Without Borders

Doctors Without Borders argued that the similarities between the signs could lead to confusion and that their mark enjoys considerable reputation. The use of the name Veterinarians Without Borders, they claimed, could result in dilution of their mark and an unfair advantage (free-riding).
Veterinarians Without Borders denied that the signs were confusingly similar and argued that the reputation mainly pertains to the French name ‘Médecins Sans Frontières.’ They also referred to the neutralisation theory, a concept we recently discussed in our <a href="https://www.remarkable.eu/en/insights/apple-vs-opple-no-clear-verdict/">blog on APPLE vs OPPLE</a>, which suggests that conceptual differences can neutralise visual or phonetic similarities.

Arguments of the parties

The BOIP did not accept the arguments of Veterinarians Without Borders. It determined that there were visual, phonetic, and conceptual similarities between the marks, creating a risk of confusion. Even for the goods and services where there was no direct overlap, the BOIP found it plausible that Veterinarians Without Borders could be perceived as free-riding on the reputation of Doctors Without Borders.
&nbsp;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4676 size-large" src="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/05/Remarkable-Europe_Artsen-Zonder-Grenzen-1024x298.png" alt="" width="1024" height="298" srcset="https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/05/Remarkable-Europe_Artsen-Zonder-Grenzen-1024x298.png 1024w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/05/Remarkable-Europe_Artsen-Zonder-Grenzen-300x87.png 300w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/05/Remarkable-Europe_Artsen-Zonder-Grenzen-768x224.png 768w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/05/Remarkable-Europe_Artsen-Zonder-Grenzen-1536x448.png 1536w, https://admin.remarkable.eu/content/uploads/2025/05/Remarkable-Europe_Artsen-Zonder-Grenzen-2048x597.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />

BOIP’s ruling

This case highlights that trademark registration is equally vital for non-profits. Even without a profit motive, a strong trademark registration can prevent legal conflicts.
Remarkable assists various non-profits and healthcare organisations with trademark protection, including 11.11.11, HERW!N, Kringwinkel, BELvue Museum, Oranje vzw, Mobilant, Wit-Gele Kruis, and AZ Zeno.
<a href="https://www.remarkable.eu/en/contact/">Contact us</a> and let&#8217;s discover how we can support your organisation with trademark protection.

Trademark protection in the non-profit sector: How to avoid conflicts?