Shoppers in Germany might feel a little embarrassed about asking for "Ficken" schnapps by name – after all, the drink is named after the German word for "fuck".
But last week, Germany’s Federal Patent Court ruled that the word 'ficken' can be registered as a trademark,” Der Spiegel reports. The case was taken to the country’s highest patent court after attempts to get the name registered with the German Patent and Trademark Office failed. As a result, the company now owns the 'Ficken' trademark for clothing, mineral water and fruit drinks, in addition to alcoholic beverages. The Federal Patent Court explained that the name is not "sexually discriminatory" and "does not violate public morals", although it is unquestionably in poor taste.
The word "ficken" is quite possibly the source of the English "fuck", as demonstrated by Monty Python's Uses Of The Word Fuck sketch.
Found in The Globe and Mail on Sep. 20, 2011.
