Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 20 March 2024 –  
EFFAS v EUIPO – CFA Institute (CEFA Certified European Financial Analyst)

(Case T‑213/23) (
[1](#t-ECR_62023TJ0213_INF_EN_01-E0001)
)

(EU trade mark – Opposition proceedings – Application for the EU word mark CEFA Certified European Financial Analyst – Earlier EU word mark CFA – Relative ground for refusal – Likelihood of confusion – Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 (now Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001) – Coexistence of the marks)

| 1. | EU trade mark – Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark – Relative grounds for refusal – Opposition by the proprietor of an identical or similar earlier mark registered in respect of identical or similar goods or services – Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark – Criteria for assessment – Coexistence of two marks on a given market  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paragraphs 24, 25, 60-63) |

| 2. | EU trade mark – Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark – Relative grounds for refusal – Opposition by the proprietor of an identical or similar earlier mark registered in respect of identical or similar goods or services – Similarity between the marks concerned – Criteria for assessment  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paragraph 32) |

| 3. | EU trade mark – Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark – Relative grounds for refusal – Opposition by the proprietor of an identical or similar earlier mark registered in respect of identical or similar goods or services – Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark – Word marks CEFA Certified European Financial Analyst and CFA  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paragraphs 67, 68, 70, 71, 74) |

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Annuls the decision of the First Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 21 February 2023 (Case R 1418/2022-1); |

| 2. | Orders EUIPO to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by European Federation of Financial Analysts’ Societies (EFFAS); |

| 3. | Orders CFA Institute to bear its own costs. |

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(
[1](#c-ECR_62023TJ0213_INF_EN_01-E0001)
) [OJ C 216, 19.6.2023](./../../../legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=OJ:C:2023:216:TOC).

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