Judgment of the General Court (Ninth Chamber) of 17 January 2019 –Turbo-K International v EUIPO — Turbo-K (TURBO-K)
(Case T‑671/17)
(EU trade mark — Opposition proceedings — Application for EU work mark TURBO-K — Earlier non-registered marks TURBO-K — Relative ground for refusal — Use of a sign in the course of trade of more than mere local significance — Article 8(4) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 (now Article 8(4) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001) — Rules governing common-law actions for passing-off — Goodwill)
1.      EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an unregistered trade mark or other sign used in the course of trade — Conditions — Assessment by reference to the criteria determined by the national law governing the sign relied on
(Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(4))
(see para. 33)
2.      Action for annulment — Subject-matter — Decision based on several pillars of reasoning, each sufficient to justify the operative part — Annulment of such a decision — Conditions
(Art. 263 TFEU)
(see para. 39)
3.      EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an unregistered trade mark or other sign used in the course of trade — Local scope of sign — Criteria for assessment
(Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(4))
(see para. 52)
4.      National law — Reference to national law — United Kingdom law — Action for passing off
(see paras 56-58, 64, 69, 79)
5.      EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an unregistered trade mark or other sign used in the course of trade — Word mark TURBO-K and unregistered marks TURBO-K
(Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(4))
(see paras 59, 68, 71, 72, 81, 85)
6.      EU trade mark — Appeals procedure — Persons entitled to appeal and to be parties to the proceedings — Persons whose claims not upheld by a decision — Decision upholding an opposition to registration of a trade mark, based on the existence of the likelihood of confusion with an earlier mark, without recognising the latter as having enhanced distinctiveness — No interest in bringing proceedings — Inadmissibility
(Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 65(4))
(see paras 90, 91)
7.      EU trade mark — Conversion into a national trade mark application — Application with a view to initiating the national procedure
(Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 112(2)(b))
(see paras 95-97)
Re:
Action brought against the decision of the Second Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 14 July 2017 (Case R 2135/2016-2), relating to opposition proceedings between Turbo-K and Turbo-K International.
Operative part
The Court:
1.
Dismisses the action;
2.
Dismisses the cross-claim as inadmissible;
3.
Orders Turbo-K International Ltd and Turbo-K Ltd each to bear their own costs and each to pay half of the costs incurred by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).