Former Industry Minister Implicated in “Orangina” trademark theft, real owner says

Owner of the trademark “Orangina”, Aammar Jakaken, spoke sadly about the stages of stealing his company’s trademark to give it French businessman, even though it is registered in his name since December 1969 at the level of the National Institute of Industrial Property.

The spokesman accused some parties of exploiting the Algerian administration to serve France, and was able to share equally his trademark for years, until the Court announced, at the beginning of 2012, that the French are no longer owners of “Orangina”, as he asked for retrieving his trademark which is 100% Algerian, and reconsideration at the level of administration and justice.

“The shameless collusion of the National Institute of Industrial Property in the era of the former Minister of Industry, Hachemi Djaaboub, enabled the latter to exploit it to the register the mark in favor of the French. Djaaboub contacted the French Embassy on April, 18, 2004, confirming his support to the French company to get back‭ what it thought it is a French trademark, ‭though the minister knew that I was the‬ real owner of “Orangina” and this was registered ‭in ‭the National Institute ‭of industrial Property”, he added. ‬

The real owner of the trademark granted the license of exploitation of “Orangina” to the brothers Zahaf, before turning they betrayed him throughout trying to represent the French company in Algeria with the assistance of the former minister Djaaboub, who was able change the ownership of the trademark “Orangina ‮” ‬ at the‭ National Institute of Industrial Property from Amammar Jakaken ‭to the French company CFB‭. ‬

“The French party got the right of exploitation, but Algiers court decided in March 9, 2004 to delete all the recordings made ​​by the French company on “Orangina” products at the level of the Institute of Industrial Property. At the same day Blida court issued a decision to omit the Commercial Register and registrations carried out by the company of Zaim Mohammed at the level of the National Center for the Commercial Register and the Institute of Industrial Property. On June, 7, 2006 the Supreme Court issued an order to overturn the decision of Algiers court on the removal of all recordings of the French company and to maintain the decision of Blida court , which issued a decision of a joint property of “Orangina” trademark equally”‭. ‬

Questions without ‭answers?

‭ Amammar Jakaken wondered about the rapid changes and contradictions of the judicial decisions by both Blida court and the Supreme Court; ” There was an ugly exploitation of the former governor of Blida, Bouricha, to his office, because he facilitated theft of the trademark. Where is the task of the administration in this case, despite the fact that the aggressor is a foreign company that ‭received support ‭of Algerian officials by ‭misrepresenting ‭the law ‭and abused an Algerian property? What if the contrary happened, ‭if ‭an Algerian ownership asked ‭a French company’s property from a French administration, will he ‭find such an ugly collusion? ‭

Former Minister of Industry, Hachemi Djaaboub‭: “I am ready to testify,‬ the National Institute of Industrial Property should take its responsibilities if it is implicated”

‬The former Minister of Industry, Hachemi Djaaboub, told Echorouk that he did not grant the trademark “Orangina” to the French company CFB; “Ministry of Industry is not responsible neither for the trademark registration and cancellation, nor for granting it to any party. If it is proved that the National Institute of Industrial Property is implicated, it will be the only responsible for such abuses, because it is an ‭ independent ‬body, and the Ministry has no responsibility for that”.