Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 15 September 2021 –  
Laboratorios Ern v EUIPO – Le-Vel Brands (Le-Vel)

(Case T‑331/20)

(EU trade mark – Opposition proceedings – Application for the EU word mark Le-Vel – Earlier national word mark LEVEL – Relative ground for refusal – No likelihood of confusion – No similarity of the goods and 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 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 15, 16) |

| 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 – Similarity between the goods or services in question – Criteria for assessment – Complementary nature of the goods or services  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 18, 19) |

| 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 – Word marks Le-Vel and LEVEL  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 25, 35, 45, 51, 58, 63) |

| 4. | EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Action before the EU judicature – Jurisdiction of the General Court – Re-evaluation of the facts in the light of evidence produced for the first time before it – Precluded  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 65)  (see para. 30) |

| 5. | EU trade mark – Decisions of EUIPO – Legality – Examination by the EU judicature – Criteria  (Council Regulation No 207/2009)  (see paras 49, 50) |

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 20 March 2020 (Case R 2113/2019-4), relating to opposition proceedings between Laboratorios Ern and Le-Vel Brands.

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the action; |

| 2. | Orders Laboratorios Ern, SA, to pay the costs. |

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