Eldria wins opposition as EU rules name too similar for printer manufacturing services.
Ricoh’s application to register the name ‘ETRIA’ as a European Union trade mark has been rejected, following a successful opposition by German manufacturer Eldria GmbH. The EUIPO’s Opposition Division ruled that the mark was too similar to Eldria’s earlier registration and would likely confuse customers.
The decision, issued on 13 June 2025, blocks the use of the ETRIA name in the EU for the specified services and orders Ricoh to pay EUR 620 in costs.
The ruling is a blow to ETRIA CO., LTD., the joint venture between Ricoh and Toshiba Tec, and more recently OKI, launched in July 2024. The company was formed to consolidate the partners’ office printing businesses, including developing and producing MFPs, printers, peripherals and related consumables. The ETRIA name was intended to reflect the joint venture’s long-term goals around innovation, collaboration and supply chain efficiency.
However, the EUIPO found that ‘ETRIA’ was too close to Eldria’s existing mark ‘eldria’, which is already registered for custom manufacturing and assembly services. The two names share the “E-R-I-A” sequence, and the Office concluded that they are visually and aurally similar to a degree likely to cause confusion, even among business customers.
Ricoh’s argument, that the different starting syllables would be enough to distinguish the two, was rejected. The Office noted that consumers rarely dissect brand names and typically rely on an overall impression and imperfect recall.
The decision also confirmed that the term “assembly of products for others”, used in Eldria’s trade mark registration, is clear and valid under EU classification rules.
Ricoh now has two months to appeal the ruling. If it does not, the ETRIA name will be effectively blocked in the EU, leaving Ricoh and Toshiba Tec to consider alternative branding for the joint venture within the region.
