62020TJ0354_INF
Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 24 March 2021 –Kfz-Gewerbe v EUIPO – The Blink Fish (Representation of a fish)
(Case T‑354/20)
(EU trade mark – Invalidity proceedings – EU figurative mark representing a fish – Earlier national word mark BLINKA – Relative ground for refusal – No likelihood of confusion – No similarity between the signs – Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 – Obligation to state reasons – First sentence of Article 94(1) of Regulation 2017/1001)
1.
EU trade mark – Procedural provisions – Statement of reasons for decisions – First sentence of Article 94(1) of Regulation 2017/1001 – Scope identical to that of Article 296 TFEU – Recourse by the Board of Appeal to implicit reasoning – Whether permissible – Conditions
(Art. 296 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 94(1), first sentence)
(see paras 17, 21)
2.
EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Relative grounds for invalidity – Existence of an identical or similar earlier mark registered for identical or similar goods or services – Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark – Criteria for assessment
(European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 8(1)(b) and 60(1)(a))
(see paras 30-32, 36, 43, 49, 63)
3.
EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Relative grounds for invalidity – Existence of an identical or similar earlier mark registered for identical or similar goods or services – Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark – Figurative mark representing a fish and word mark BLINKA
(European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 8(1)(b) and 60(1)(a))
(see paras 33, 38, 44, 52, 67-70)
Re:
Action brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 6 April 2020 (Case R 2333/2019-4), relating to invalidity proceedings between Wirtschaftsgesellschaft des Kfz-Gewerbes and The Blink Fish.
Operative part
The Court:
1.
Dismisses the action;
2.
Orders Wirtschaftsgesellschaft des Kfz-Gewerbes mbH to pay the costs.