European Court of Justice rules crypto company cannot trademark name of Pablo Escobar

COLOMBIAN drug lord Pablo Escobar's brother has been told he cannot use the criminal mastermind's name as a trademark for his crypto company.

The European Court of Justice today ruled, through its intellectual property office (EUIPO), that 'Escobar Inc' cannot be registered within the EU.

The company was launched nine years ago by Roberto de Jesús Escobar Gaviria - the deceased cocaine supplier's elder brother - as a cryptocurrency businesses named 'Escobar Cash'.

The 77-year-old, who was released after 14 years in prison in 2006 for drug trafficking, is also behind the 'dietbitcoin' token after branding Bitcoin as a US scam.

It is understood the elder Escobar brother wanted to use the branding to launch 'Escobar Fold 1' - a type of folding mobile phone.

However, European lawmakers today put an end to the four-year-old application, saying the suffering associated with the name of Escobar was too raw.

"EUIPO correctly found that those persons would associate the name of Pablo Escobar with drug trafficking and narco-terrorism and with the crimes and suffering resulting therefrom, rather than with his possible good deeds in favour of the poor in Colombia,"  a statement read.

Pablo Escobar was shot and killed in December 1993 during a shoot-out with police after he attempted to escape from the roof of his hideout. He had been the kingpin of the Medellin drugs cartel which was responsible for thousands of deaths in Colombia.

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