round, did not meet the conditions for registration. The same applied to the words WIE
NER WERKSTÄTTE in a square frame, in view of the fact that: “Numbers or letters do
not become Copyright by being given an uncharacteristic frame or by inserting a punc-
tuation mark between them” (Abel 1908, p. 88). In the same place we find the following
remarks on monograms: “Combinations or letters can become Copyright if the combina-
tion appears to have been formed in a characteristic manner (monograms); mere initials,
on the other hand, cannot be registered. (Kent, no. 112, stipulates that monograms can
only be copyrighted if the composition of the letter is such that they are no longer per-
ceptible as individual letters. The German patent Office is less strict).”
As far as the regulations quoted above are concerned, it is at least remarkable that, as
already mentioned, most of the patterns in the 19th Century - and even later - frequently
consisted of elaborate, scarcely decipherable monograms with which the simple WW
monogram contrasts strongly. We know from a Contemporary business paper of the
Wiener Werkstätte that the WW monogram had already been designed by 1903.
In some later advertising the artists of the Wiener Werkstätte sometimes gave in to their
liking for decoration, and the original requirement of the illegibility of monograms
(Fig. 39, p. 53) seems to have found a late analogy even in the Wiener Werkstätte in
these designs. Thus, in October 1920 “Seidel’s Reklame” (WWAN, no.426) complained:
“One should actually expect only first-class things from the Wiener Werkstätte. How-
ever, the example reproduced on page 288 does not come up to these expectations. It
is difficult to read. The headline of this advertisement reads: ‘New Model - Wiener Werk
stätte’. Although the last words meet the condition of being eye-catching, one has to
work hard to make out the other words. It would go too far to present a good example
for this advertisement. But a simple, well typeset advertisement in clear type would be
better than this cliche.”
At all events, the WW monogram could not be registered in 1903. However, the general
Situation with regard to monogram trade marks does not appear to have been satisfac-
tory, and countless decisions by the relevant authorities regulated doubtful cases.
It was only the amendment of 17th March 1913 (RGBl. Nr. 65) to the Trade Marks Act
which largely clarified the Situation (Adler-Schulz 1906, Supplement 1913, p. 85):
“Article II. The stipulation of § 3, subsection 2 precluding trade marks consisting only of
numbers or letters from being registered is revoked”.
This gave a clear guideline for the future. An appropriate number of restrictions still con-
tinued to apply, of course. These made the registration of certain trade names imposs-
ible in spite of the revocation of the conditions for registration mentioned above. How
ever, it cannot be mere Chance that the WW monogram and the trade name WIENER
WERKSTÄTTE were both registered in the same year (1913).
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