The Supreme Court has put an end to a debate that has been going on for almost a decade: whether a popular trademark such as DONUTS® becomes vulgarised by being included in authoritative dictionaries such as the RAE, where it appears as ‘dónut’ to identify a ‘spongy pastry’. Now, the answer is clear: it does not entail a loss of trademark exclusivity.

In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court has overturned the previous decision of the Provincial Court of Madrid and ruled in favour of Grupo Bimbo, owner of the DONUTS® trademark, declaring that the food company Atlanta could not use ‘Donut’ to designate its doughnuts, even if it claimed that such use was descriptive in nature.

A precedent that reinforces the protection of lexicalised trademarks

DONUTS® is one of the best-known trademarks in Spain, and the Supreme Court has once again recognised its renown 13 years later (Supreme Court ruling of 14 May 2012). This means that consumers do not only identify DONUTS® as belonging to Grupo Bimbo, but also that the trademark has a reputation in the market that deserves the highest legal protection.

The decision marks a turning point in the protection of renowned trademarks that have become lexicalised, such as aspirina (from the Aspirina trademark), pósit (from Post-it), clínex (from Kleenex) and rímel (from Rimmel).

Until now, the Provincial Court of Madrid considered that the inclusion of ‘dónut’ in the RAE dictionary in 2019 limited Grupo Bimbo's rights, which had to resign itself to tolerating descriptive uses of that term in commerce by third parties.

It shall be pointed out that a distinction must be made between colloquial use in everyday language, outside of commerce, where it is legitimate to use ‘dónut’, and use in the market or commerce, where Grupo Bimbo's exclusive trademark rights over DONUTS® must be preserved.

In fact, the ruling itself points out that the defendant Atlanta could have used many other words to describe its products —rosquillas, berlinas, roscos— without resorting to Grupo Bimbo's renowned DONUTS® trademark.

As lawyer David Pellisé explains, this is the first time that the Supreme Court has made it clear that the fact that a very popular trademark such as DONUTS® is included in the dictionary does not eliminate or limit the rights of its owner, but rather that these rights must be respected at all times in commerce.

A matter of clarity for the consumer

The ruling is important not only for businesses, but also for consumers. When someone asks for ‘Donuts’, they are not asking for just any doughnut: they are thinking of a specific product, with a recognisable flavour and quality from Grupo Bimbo.

The aim of trademark law is to ensure a transparent market where DONUTS® refers only to authentic Grupo Bimbo products.

At Pellisé Abogados, we celebrate a ruling that provides legal certainty, protects consumers and recognises the value of the most iconic brands in our environment.

Impact on the media:

The ruling has been commented on by numerous newspapers throughout the country:

• LA VANGUARDIA: "Solo Bimbo puede usar el término dónut aunque esté en el diccionario, según el Supremo" https://www.lavanguardia.com/dinero/20251118/11277575/bimbo-termino-donut-este-diccionario-supremo.html
• CINCO DÍAS, EL PAÍS: "Solo Bimbo puede llamar 'Donut' a los dónuts: el Supremo le da la razón en un pleito de ocho años" https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2025-11-18/solo-bimbo-puede-llamar-donut-a-los-donuts-el-supremo-le-da-la-razon-en-un-pleito-de-ocho-anos.html
• EL MUNDO: "Sólo Bimbo puede vender con la palabra donut, según el Tribunal Supremo" https://www.elmundo.es/economia/empresas/2025/11/18/691c7a76e9cf4af4388b4591.html
• EL ECONOMISTA: "Bimbo gana la batalla en el Supremo: nadie más podrá utilizar la marca Donuts" https://www.eleconomista.es/retail-consumo/noticias/13649003/11/25/bimbo-gana-la-batalla-en-el-supremo-nadie-mas-podra-utilizar-la-marca-donuts.html
• EL CONFIDENCIAL: "El Supremo blinda la marca Donut y devuelve a Grupo Bimbo la exclusiva de su rosquilla más famosa" https://www.elconfidencial.com/juridico/2025-11-16/el-supremo-blinda-la-marca-donut-bimbo_4245682/
• LA RAZÓN: "Los tribunales lo aclaran: esta es la única marca que podrá vender "Donut" a partir de ahora" https://www.larazon.es/economia/tribunales-aclaran-esta-unica-marca-que-podra-vender-donut-partir-ahora_20251118691cadf3eba8bc0ece077667.html
• MARCA: "El Tribunal Supremo da la razón a Bimbo: solo la empresa mexicana podrá usar la marca Donuts en España" https://www.marca.com/tiramillas/gastronomia/2025/11/18/bimbo-gana-atlanta-restauracion-tematica-tribunal-supremo-podran-marca-donuts-espana.html
• EL DIARIO: "Fin a la pelea por los 'donuts': el Tribunal Supremo determina que solo Bimbo puede usar la marca Donut" https://www.eldiario.es/economia/tribunal-supremo-acaba-pelea-donuts-bimbo-marca-donut_1_12778292.html
• 3CAT INFO: "Bimbo es queda amb l'ús comercial del terme "dònut", encara que estigui recollit als diccionaris" https://www.3cat.cat/3catinfo/bimbo-es-queda-amb-lus-comercial-del-terme-donut-encara-que-estigui-recollit-als-diccionaris/noticia/3381028/