Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 16 January 2018 — Sun Media v EUIPO — Meta4 Spain (METABOX)

(Case T‑204/16)

(EU trade mark — Opposition proceedings — Application for EU word mark METABOX — Earlier EU and national word marks META4 and earlier EU and national figurative marks meta4 — Relative ground for refusal — Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 (now Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001) — Similarity of the signs — Likelihood of confusion)

| 1. | EU trade mark—Procedural provisions—Statement of reasons for decisions—Article 75, first sentence, of Regulation No 207/2009—Scope identical to that of Article 296 TFEU  (Art. 296 TFEU; Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41; Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 75, first sentence)  (see paras 21, 22) |

| 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—Criteria for assessment  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 28, 65) |

| 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—Assessment of the likelihood of confusion—Determination of the relevant public—Attention level of the public  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see para. 29) |

| 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—Similarity of the marks concerned—Criteria for assessment—Composite mark  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 33, 34) |

| 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—Word mark METABOX—Word marks META4 and figurative marks meta4  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 38, 41, 44, 69, 70, 72, 73, 75, 76) |

| 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—Similarity of the marks concerned—Visual similarity between a figurative mark and a word mark  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see para. 46) |

| 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—Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark—Similarity of the marks concerned—Whether conceptual differences may neutralise visual or aural similarities—Conditions  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see para. 71) |

| 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—Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark—Earlier trade mark constituted by an EU trade mark—Refusal to register on a ground relating to refusal even limited to part of the Union  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see para. 74) |

| 9. | Judicial proceedings—Application initiating proceedings—Formal requirements—Brief summary of the pleas in law on which the application is based—None—Inadmissibility  (Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 21, first paragraph; Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 76(d))  (see paras 79) |

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Second Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 3 March 2016 (Case R 307/2015-2) relating to opposition proceedings between Meta4 Spain and Sun Media.

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the action; |

| 2. | Orders Sun Media Ltd to pay the costs. |

[Top](#document1)