Fake invoices have been around forever. In the last century, entrepreneurs were bombarded with invoices for the listing of fax numbers. Then came fake Chamber of Commerce companies offering trade name registrations, and since this century we have been spammed with fake invoices relating to trademark applications or renewals. The crooks — or rather, fraudsters — are becoming increasingly brazen. Whereas the invoices were initially still sent by companies with names that closely resembled those of the official trademark authorities, such as EUIPA instead of EUIPO, nowadays they are taking things a step further.

According to Wikipedia, Abba ranks among the most famous and successful pop groups of all time. When an EU logo mark ABBA NUTRITION is filed for a broad range of goods, the Swedish pop icons step in and invoke the reputation of the Abba name. Once a mark is reputed, the owner can reach beyond similar goods, the comfort zone of classic likelihood of confusion, into dilution and unfair advantage.