Action brought on 19 January 2024 – Instituto dos vinhos do Douro e do Porto v EUIPO – The Benriach Distillery Company (PORTSOY)

(Case T-40/24)

Language in which the application was lodged: English

Parties

Applicant: Instituto dos vinhos do Douro e do Porto I. P. (Peso da Régua, Portugal) (represented by: P. Sousa e Silva, lawyer)

Defendant: European Union Intellectual Property Office

Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal: The Benriach Distillery Company Ltd (Edinburgh, United Kingdom)

Details of the proceedings before EUIPO

Applicant of the trade mark at issue: Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal

Trade mark at issue: Application for European Union word mark PORTSOY – Application for registration No 18 386 353

Procedure before EUIPO: Opposition proceedings

Contested decision: Decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 14 November 2023 in Case R 1885/2022-4

Form of order sought

The applicant claims that the Court should:

alter the contested decision in order to reject the trade mark application at issue;

order EUIPO and the other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal to pay the costs, including those incurred by the applicant in the proceedings before the Office and the Board of Appeal.

Pleas in law

Infringement of Article 103(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to commercial use;

Infringement of Article 103(2)(a)(i) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to comparable products;

Infringement of Article 103(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the exploitation of the reputation of a protected designation of origin;

Infringement of Article 103(2)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the evocation of a protected designation of origin.

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