Government plans to block trademarks on inventoried cultural items like Ordino's bear head mask after

The Andorran government will amend the 1996 Trademarks Law to block registration of inventoried cultural heritage items, both material and intangible, following the 2024 approval of a private trademark featuring Ordino's bear head mask from its satirical festival, combined with a company name.

Ministers Conxita Marsol, for Presidency, Economy, Employment and Housing, and Mònica Bonell, for Culture, Youth and Sports, outlined the plan during Thursday's General Council control session. They responded to queries from Social Democratic Group leader Susanna Vela, who described the episode as exposing vulnerabilities in cultural protections and questioned why the government had not fully utilised tools under the 2003 Cultural Heritage Law. Vela warned of risks to other assets, such as Canillo's harlequins, and called for pre-registration checks similar to those for state symbols, along with revocation of the existing bear head trademark.

Marsol confirmed that current rules require the Trademarks Office to approve such combinations, leaving challenges to the Batllia courts. She noted that roughly 40,000 trademarks have been registered since 1996, with courts annulling about 100 for prior rights violations. To close the loophole, the government plans to update Article 2 to exclude ministry-inventoried cultural assets. Bonell stressed the need for a legal report to define the changes, with no firm timeline for completion or parliamentary submission. The executive has rejected revoking the Ordino trademark absent new laws or judicial action by affected parties.

Opposition figures, including Concòrdia leader Cerni Escalé, decried the "lack of protection" for intangible heritage and urged urgent cross-party processing of the bill, given the law's near-30-year age and conflicts with Unesco conventions Andorra has endorsed. Bonell indicated openness to collaboration for faster progress.

Bonell highlighted ongoing work on a new Cultural Heritage Law to bolster intangible protections, noting 18 such national items and four Unesco-listed ones. No formal complaints have emerged since the 2024 registration, despite its prior inventory status.

The Ordino Popular Culture Association expressed approval but urged speed, with member Albert Roig—author of a book on the tradition—emphasising that cultural laws must override private claims. He called for institutions to monitor interim risks and avoid delays before the legislative term ends in a year.