Neo-Nazi store now under control of anti-fascist organization due to trademark acquisition
The organisation Loud against Nazis (Laut gegen Nazis e.V.), in collaboration with the advertising agency Jung von Matt, has recently secured the trademark rights to "Druck18," Germany's largest neo-Nazi online shop. This strategic legal action effectively disrupts one of the main channels for distributing right-wing extremist propaganda.
Key details and effects of this development include:
- Druck18, operated by neo-Nazi Tommy Frenck, is infamous for selling hundreds of items featuring racist, antisemitic, and revisionist historical content, including coded neo-Nazi symbols like "HKNKRZ" (a nod to the swastika), "HTLR," and "Wehrmacht wieder mit?".
- Over the past two years, Loud against Nazis has actively secured trademark rights not just to "Druck18" but also to these extremist codes, using trademark law as a tool to legally suppress the commercial use of right-wing extremist symbols and phrases.
- With the trademark secured, the shop can no longer operate under the name Druck18 without risking legal injunctions and claims for damages. This marks a significant blow to the right-wing extremist scene’s ability to spread propaganda commercially under familiar branding.
- This campaign continues a trajectory where extremist shops have previously been forced to remove trademarked names from their websites, further limiting the commercial availability of Nazi merchandise in Germany.
In essence, this trademark move by Loud against Nazis disrupts a central distribution hub of neo-Nazi merchandise by legally preventing the continued use of its brand and coded symbols, thereby restricting the spread of extremist propaganda through official commercial channels.
All net profits from the "Right against right" shop established by the organisation flow into projects against right-wing extremism. A trademark application costs around 1600 euros. The organisation relies on donations to secure further trademark rights for right-wing extremist codes and similar things.
Additionally, smaller projects in rural areas are planned to be supported with the funds from the "Right against right" shop. Tommy Frenck, the managing director of Druck18, is known nationwide for organizing neo-Nazi concerts that attracted right-wing extremists from other European countries. He has also run for landrat in Thuringia in 2024.
Loud against Nazis has previously secured the rights to the brands "Dop dop dop dop", "VTR LND", and "enness", which are phonetic writings for "Fatherland" and National Socialism, respectively, and are popular codes among right-wing extremists. "Dop dop dop dop" is a reference to a racist song melody.
The operator of "Druck18" cannot continue to use the shop's name in the right-wing extremist scene due to the trademark. Druck18 sells various items such as clothing, stickers, bedding, and jewelry. The organisation has an appeal on the donation platform "Betterplace.org" for further donations.
- The securing of the trademark rights to "Druck18" by Loud against Nazis, a democratic society, represents a significant development in the politics and general-news landscape, as it now restricts the commercial spread of neo-Nazi propaganda through the disruption of a central distribution hub.
- This legal action against "Druck18" has consequences extending beyond the criminal-justice sphere, as the right-wing extremist operations of Tommy Frenck, a political candidate, are being challenged and restricted, potentially impacting his campaign in the future.
