The battle for the brand: Home Center lost to the Dabah chain in the dispute over the use of the word HOME
Home Center challenged the use of the word HOME by the Dabah chain for a private label of cleaning products, claiming it could mislead the public. However, the court ruled that there is no similarity between the signs that would lead to confusion and rejected the appeal.
The Home Center chain has lost a legal battle over the exclusive use of the word HOME in Israel against the Salah Dabah and Sons chain, which manufactures and markets a series of products under a private label called HOME. The dispute began when Dabah sought to register a trademark including the word HOME, accompanied by an illustration of a house and cleaning tools: a broom, a spray bottle, and a squeegee, for a series of cleaning products and disposable items.
Home Center, which operates a nationwide chain and invests tens of millions of shekels annually in marketing its brands, objected, claiming the sign is similar to its own "well-known trademarks" and could mislead the public. Home Center argued that its signs have been established in Israel for about 30 years and cited a survey suggesting that over 20% of respondents mistakenly associated the Salah Dabah and Sons sign with Home Center.
On the other hand, Dabah, represented by attorney Tomer Appeldorfer, argued that Home Center has no exclusive rights to the word HOME or the shape of a house with a triangular roof. They maintained that HOME is a dictionary word with a clear meaning, making its use in the home goods sector generic and common. Dabah also presented its own survey, which showed that only 6% of respondents associated the sign with Home Center, indicating no actual risk of deception.
In September 2025, the Registrar of Patents, Dr. Roya Israeli, rejected Home Center's objection, ruling that the chain failed to meet the high evidentiary burden required to prove its signs are "well-known" in Israel, specifically failing to prove that the word HOME without the addition of "Center" is identified exclusively with them.
This month, the Jerusalem District Court rejected Home Center's appeal. Judge Avigdor Dorot ruled that there was no cause to intervene in the factual findings, concluding that there is no similarity between the signs that amounts to deception.
"We welcome the court's decision, which maintained fair competition for the benefit of consumers," stated the office of Appeldorfer & Co., representing the Dabah chain.
Home Center responded: "We have received the verdict and are currently studying it. In any case, Home Center respects every ruling, but we regret that the District Court refrained from intervening in the errors made in the Registrar of Trademarks' decision. We will now formulate decisions regarding further steps after the verdict is studied in depth."
