Information;Judgment — ECLI:EU:T:2025:3
Date: 2025-01-08
Language of the case: English
Court formation: Sixth Chamber
Subject matter: Trade marks;Intellectual, industrial and commercial property
Procedure: Action for annulment - unfounded
Origin: Germany

Judgment of the General Court (Sixth Chamber) of 8 January 2025 – Rat Pack Filmproduktion v EUIPO – RatPac Entertainment (RATPAC) (Case T‑163/24) ( EU trade mark – Opposition proceedings – International registration designating the European Union – Word mark RATPAC – Earlier national word mark RAT PACK – Relative ground for refusal – No likelihood of confusion – No similarity of the services – Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 (now Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001) ) 1. EU trade mark – Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark – Relative grounds for refusal – Opposition by the proprietor of an identical or similar earlier mark registered in respect of identical or similar goods or services – Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark – Criteria for assessment (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paragraphs 25, 26) 2. EU trade mark – Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark – Relative grounds for refusal – Opposition by the proprietor of an identical or similar earlier mark registered in respect of identical or similar goods or services – Similarity between the goods or services in question – Criteria for assessment – Complementary nature of the goods or services (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paragraphs 27, 28) 3. EU trade mark – Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark – Relative grounds for refusal – Opposition by the proprietor of an identical or similar earlier mark registered in respect of identical or similar goods or services – Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark – Word marks RATPAC and RAT PACK (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paragraphs 36, 44, 49, 50) 4. EU trade mark – Decisions of EUIPO – Legality – Examination by the EU judicature – Criteria (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001) (see paragraphs 51, 52) Operative part The Court: 1. Dismisses the action; 2. Orders Rat Pack Filmproduktion GmbH to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and RatPac Entertainment LLC in the proceedings before the General Court.