EN
C 252/44
Official Journal of the European Union
17.7.2023
Judgment of the General Court of 7 June 2023 — Aprile and Commerciale Italiana v EUIPO — DC Comics (Representation of a bat in an oval surround) (Case T-735/21) (1) (EU trade mark — Invalidity proceedings — Figurative EU trade mark representing a bat in an oval surround — Absolute grounds for invalidity — Distinctive character — No descriptive character — Article 7(1)(b) and (c) of Regulation (EC) No 40/94 (now Article 7(1)(b) and (c) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001) — Restriction of the goods covered by the application for a declaration of invalidity — Obligation to state reasons) (2023/C 252/50) Language of the case: English Parties Applicants: Luigi Aprile (San Giuseppe Vesuviano, Italy), Commerciale Italiana Srl (Nola, Italy) (represented by: C. Saettel, lawyer) Defendant: European Union Intellectual Property Office (represented by: T. Frydendahl, Agent) Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO, intervener before the General Court: DC Comics (Burbank, California, United States) (represented by: G. Glas, P. Van Dyck and E. Taelman, lawyers) Re: By their action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicants seek annulment of the decision of the Second Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 6 September 2021 (Case R 1447/2020-2).
Operative part of the judgment The Court: 1.
Dismisses the action; 2.
Orders Mr Luigi Aprile and Commerciale Italiana Srl to pay the costs.
(1)
OJ C 37, 24.1.2022.
Judgment of the General Court of 24 May 2023 — Granini France v EUIPO — Pichler (Joro) (Case T-68/22) (1) (EU trade mark — Opposition proceedings — Application for EU word mark Joro — Earlier national word mark JOKO — Relative ground for refusal — Likelihood of confusion — Similarity of goods — Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001) (2023/C 252/51) Language of the case: German Parties Applicant: Granini France (Mâcon, France) (represented by: J. Wachsmuth, lawyer) Defendant: European Union Intellectual Property Office (represented by: T. Klee and D. Gája, acting as Agents) Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO: Josef Pichler (San Leonardo in Passiria, Italy) Re: By its action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicant seeks the annulment of the decision of the First Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 8 November 2021 (Case R 2336/2020-1).