Brothel Entitled to Trademark Protection

A brothel in Germany has won trademark protection, with appeal judges ruling that a madam could not copy the name “Club Pearls” from an existing house of ill repute, a legal magazine reported on Friday.

A lower court had rejected a pimp's claim that he legally owned the name, the magazine, OLG Report, said.

The judges in Koblenz, in western Germany, said a second brothel using the name would confuse customers about whether or not it was under the same ownership.

They granted an injunction sought by the owner of the original "Club Pearls," located in the state of Rhineland Palatinate.

Brothels operate in a legal twilight zone in Germany: They are legal, but they cannot register as business corporations.