Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Seventh Chamber) of 18 October 2018 –  
Next design+produktion v EUIPO — Nanu-Nana Joachim Hoepp (nuuna)

(Case T‑533/17)

(European Union trade mark — Opposition proceedings — Application for EU figurative mark — Earlier EU word marks NANU and NANU-NANA — Relative ground for refusal — Assessment of the likelihood of confusion — Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 [now Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001] — Complementarity of the goods — Principles of autonomy and independence of the EU trade mark — Principles of compliance with the law and sound administration — Legal certainty)

| 1. | EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an earlier identical or similar mark registered for identical or similar goods or services — Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark — Criteria for assessment  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 16-18, 101, 102) |

| 2. | EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an earlier identical or similar mark registered for identical or similar goods or services — Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark — Assessment of the likelihood of confusion — Attention level of the public  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see para. 20) |

| 3. | EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an earlier identical or similar mark registered for identical or similar goods or services — Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark — Figurative mark nuuna and word marks NANU and NANU-NANA  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 22, 29, 38, 47, 53, 74, 84, 98, 100, 109) |

| 4. | EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an earlier identical or similar mark registered for identical or similar goods or services — Similarity between the goods or services in question — Criteria for assessment  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 23-25, 34, 36, 39, 58) |

| 5. | EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an earlier identical or similar mark registered for identical or similar goods or services — Similarity of the marks concerned — Criteria for assessment  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 75, 76, 94) |

| 6. | EU trade mark — Decisions of the Office — Principle of equal treatment — Principle of sound administration — EUIPO’s previous decision-making practice — Principle of legality  (see paras 113, 114) |

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the First Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 24 May 2017 (Case R 1448/2016-1), relating to opposition proceedings between Nanu-Nana Joachim Hoepp and Next design+produktion.

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the action; |

| 2. | Orders Next design+produktion GmbH to pay the costs. |

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