Jägermeister logo is not religiously offensive, court rules
The judges said nobody was likely to be offended by the image of a stag with a shining white cross between its antlers
Keystone
The logo of the Jägermeister brand – a stag with a shining white cross between its antlers – is not immoral and can be used as a promotional symbol in Switzerland, a court has ruled.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/dos
Judges at the Federal Administrative Court in St Gallen rejected on Monday a case seeking to restrict Jägermeister’s use of the logo solely to alcohol bottles and items of clothing. The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property had demanded the restriction on the grounds that the image was offensive to the religious leanings of some consumers.
The court, however, said this was not the case: although the story behind the logo indeed stems from an old Christian tale, today the average consumer associates it clearly with the Jägermeister liqueur rather than revelation.
The deer and glowing cross of the herbal drink refers to the story of Saint Hubertus, an eighth-century Belgian who was so passionate about hunting that he often neglected his religious duties. One day (Good Friday, as it happened), while he was patrolling the forests, a stag with a glowing cross between its antlers appeared before him and a heavenly voice told him to get back to his godly tasks.
For the Swiss federal judges, however, the “intensive” use of the image by Jägermeister had “weakened its religious character” over time, and nobody was likely to be offended.
The company is thus free to use it for all promotional activities and products in Switzerland including cosmetics, mobile phones, or telecommunications services.
Popular Stories
More
Life & Aging
Zurich: how the world capital of housing shortages is tackling the problem
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
Pope was a person full of respect: Swiss president
This content was published on
Swiss president Karin Keller-Sutter, who is attending the funeral of Pope Francis, says the pontiff was always full of respect.
Court says Catholic church tax can fund family planning centre
This content was published on
The action was brought by the Catholic Diocese of ChurExternal link in eastern Switzerland. It objected to church taxes being used to support the adebar counselling centreExternal link, which gives advice on sex, relationships and pregnancy. The dispute dates back to a 2012 budget decision by the regional Catholic church to give the centre CHF15,000…
Geneva ban on religious symbols lifted for elected politicians
This content was published on
A Geneva court has amended a controversial local secularism law, reversing a ban on religious symbols for elected politicians.
This content was published on
Although Christianity dominates the Swiss religious landscape, the Alpine country is home to a variety of other religions and sects.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.