Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Ninth Chamber) of 27 January 2021 –  
Turk Hava Yollari v EUIPO – Sky (skylife)

(Case T‑382/19)

(EU trade mark – Invalidity proceedings – International registration designating the European Union – Word mark skylife – Earlier EU word mark SKY – Relative ground for refusal – Likelihood of confusion – Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 40/94 (now Article 8(1)(b) Regulation (EU) 2017/1001))

| 1. | EU trade mark – Procedural provisions – Statement of reasons for decisions – First sentence of Article 94(1) of Regulation No 2017/1001 – Scope identical to that of Article 296 TFEU  (Art. 296, second para. TFEU; Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council 2017/1001, Art. 94(1), first sentence)  (see paras 21, 22, 24) |

| 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  (Council Regulation No 40/94, Arts 1(2) and 8(1)(b))  (see paras 31-34, 36, 45, 46) |

| 3. | EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Limitation through acquiescence – Limitation period – Point from which time starts to run  (Council Regulation No 40/94, Art. 53(2))  (see para. 49) |

| 4. | EU trade mark – Procedural provisions – Examination of the facts of the EUIPO’s own motion – Opposition proceedings – Examination restricted to the facts, evidence and arguments provided – Obligation on the parties to provide facts and evidence in support  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 95(1))  (see para. 51) |

| 5. | EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Action before the EU judicature – Jurisdiction of the General Court – Review of the lawfulness of decisions of the Boards of Appeal – Account taken by the General Court of matters of law and fact not previously raised before the departments of EUIPO – Precluded  (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 188)  (see para. 52) |

| 6. | Judicial proceedings – Costs – Dispute concerning intellectual property rights – Recoverable costs – Costs necessarily incurred by the parties for the purposes of the proceedings before the Board of Appeal  (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 190(2))  (see paras 56, 57) |

| 7. | 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 – Word marks skylife et SKY  (Council Regulation No 40/94, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 37, 40-43, 53) |

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 23 April 2019 (Case R 880/2018-4), relating to invalidity proceedings between Sky and Turk Hava Yollari.

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the action; |

| 2. | Orders Turk Hava Yollari AO to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and by Sky Ltd. |

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