Judgment — ECLI:EU:T:2017:149
Date: 2017-03-08
Language of the case: Polish
Court formation: First Chamber
Subject matter: Trade marks;Intellectual, industrial and commercial property
Procedure: Action for annulment - unfounded;Action for annulment - successful
Origin: Poland

Judgment of the General Court of 8 March 2017 — Biernacka-Hoba v EUIPO — Formata Bogusław Hoba (Formata) (Case T-23/16) 1 (EU trade mark — Invalidity proceedings — EU figurative mark Formata — Absolute ground for invalidity — Absence of bad faith — Article 52(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 — Relative ground for invalidity — Likelihood of confusion — Article 53(1)(a) and Article 8(1)(a) and (b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009) Language of the case: Polish Parties Applicant: Ilona Biernacka-Hoba (Aleksandrów Łódzki, Poland) (represented by: R. Rumpel, lawyer) Defendant: European Union Intellectual Property Office (represented by: A. Folliard-Monguiral and K. Zajfert, acting as Agents) Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO: Formata Bogusław Hoba (Aleksandrów Łódzki) Re: Action brought against the decision of the Second Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 4 November 2015 (Case R 102/2015-2), relating to invalidity proceedings between Ms Biernacka-Hoba and Formata Bogusław Hoba. Operative part of the judgment The Court: 1. Annuls the decision of the Second Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 4 November 2015 (Case R 102/2015-2), in so far as the Board of Appeal dismissed the application for a declaration of invalidity based on a relative ground for invalidity; 2. Dismisses the action as to the remainder; 3. Orders EUIPO to bear its own costs and to pay half of the costs incurred by Ms Ilona Biernacka-Hoba; 4. Orders Ms Biernacka-Hoba to bear half of her own costs. ____________ 1 OJ C 111, 29.3.2016.