Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 13 March 2019 –  
Wirecard Technologies v EUIPO — Striatum Ventures (supr)

(Case T‑297/18)

(EU trade mark — Invalidity proceedings — EU word mark supr — Earlier Benelux word mark Zupr — Relative ground for refusal — Likelihood of confusion — Similarity of the signs — Article 60(1)(a) and 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  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 18, 66-68) |

| 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 — Determination of the relevant public — Attention level of the public  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see para. 23) |

| 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 — Similarity of the marks concerned — Criteria for assessment  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 24, 30) |

| 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 — Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark — Word marks supr and Zupr  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 39, 55, 58, 63, 75-78) |

| 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 — Whether conceptual differences may counteract visual or phonetic similarities — Conditions  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see para. 74) |

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Fifth Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 20 February 2018 (Case R 2028/2017-5), relating to invalidity proceedings between Striatum Ventures and Wirecard Technologies.

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the action; |

| 2. | Orders Wirecard Technologies GmbH to pay the costs. |

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