FILE- People stand in a line for last minute shopping outside an Ikea store in Brussels, Friday, March 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Carlson, File)
Republished September 08, 2026 - 8:18 AM
Original Publication Date September 08, 2026 - 6:51 AM
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — A far-right Belgian party was likely not entitled to use IKEA’s trademarks to promote an anti-immigration campaign and may have caused “significant detriment” to the furniture giant’s reputation, the European Union's highest court ruled on Tuesday.
In 2022, the Belgian far-right and Flemish separatist party Vlaams Belang unveiled what it called the “IKEA Plan – Immigration Really Can Be Different” at a press conference, using IKEA-style logos, signs and imagery to present proposals aimed at tightening immigration rules in Belgium.
IKEA brought an infringement action before a Belgian court, arguing its trademarks were used illegally. In response, the Vrijheidsfonds association, which was in charge of the campaign on the party’s behalf, argued that its use of the company’s trademarks without permission was protected by freedom of expression.
The Belgian court referred the case to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which found that “the use of those IKEA trade marks may cause significant detriment to the repute of those trade marks and to the interests of their proprietor."
The court said invoking freedom of expression in such cases requires the trademarks to be used in good faith or in the public interest, conditions that did not appear to be met. It added that it did not appear that using IKEA’s reputation to disseminate a political message took precedence over IKEA’s rights and interests.
While the Belgian court will make the final decision, it is expected to take the ECJ’s guidance into account when issuing its ruling.
“Inter IKEA fully believes in – and deeply respects – freedom of expression,” the company said in a statement welcoming the ruling. “At the same time, it cannot accept the use of the IKEA trademarks in ways that damage their reputation or distinctive character, particularly when such use serves no other purpose than to free-ride on the reputation of the IKEA brand.”
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