Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 1 December 2021 –  
Team Beverage v EUIPO – Zurich Deutscher Herold Lebensversicherung (Team Beverage)

(Case T‑359/20)

(EU trade mark – Opposition proceedings – Application for EU word mark Team Beverage – Earlier EU word mark TEAM – Relative ground for refusal – Likelihood of confusion – Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001)

| 1. | EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Action before the EU judicature – Limitation of the list of products and services after the decision of the Board of Appeal – Consequences  (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 188; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 49(1))  (see paras 23, 24) |

| 2. | EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Action before the EU judicature – Jurisdiction of the General Court – Review of the facts in the light of evidence produced for the first time before it – Precluded  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 72)  (see para. 31) |

| 3. | EU trade mark – Observations of third parties and opposition – Examination of the opposition – Proof of use of the earlier mark – Request presented expressly and on time by the applicant – Possibility of submitting the request for the first time before the Board of Appeal – Precluded  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 47(2))  (see para. 40) |

| 4. | EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Appeals before the Boards of Appeal – Stay of proceedings – Conditions  (Commission Regulation 2018/625, Art. 71(1))  (see paras 48-50, 52, 55) |

| 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 – Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark – Criteria for assessment  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 61, 62, 104, 111-115) |

| 6. | 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 – Determination of the relevant public – Attention level of the public  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see para. 64) |

| 7. | 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  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see para. 66) |

| 8. | 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 – Composite mark  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 69, 70, 72-76, 95, 96) |

| 9. | 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 Team Beverage and TEAM  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 81, 88, 89, 110, 116-119) |

| 10. | EU trade mark – Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark – Assessment of the registrability of a sign – EU rules only taken into account – Decisions of national authorities not binding EU bodies  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001)  (see para. 87) |

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 8 April 2020 (Case R 2727/2019-4), relating to opposition proceedings between Zurich Deutscher Herold Lebensversicherung and Team Beverage.

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the action; |

| 2. | Orders Team Beverage AG to pay the costs. |

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