Judgment of the General Court of 22 November 2023 – Shaman Spirits v EUIPO – Global Drinks Finland (LAPLANDIA Land of purity and Others)

(Case T-679/22) ¹

(EU trade mark – Proceedings for the revocation of decisions or for the cancellation of entries – Cancellation of an entry in the register which contains an obvious error attributable to EUIPO – Registration of licences for the figurative marks LAPLANDIA Land of purity and others – Conditions for the registration of a licence – Evidence that a licence was granted by a registered proprietor – Concept of ‘obvious error attributable to EUIPO’ – Second sentence of Article 27(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 – First sentence of Article 103(1) of Regulation 2017/1001)

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicant: Oy Shaman Spirits Ltd (Tyrnävä, Finland) (represented by: R. Almaraz Palmero, lawyer)

Defendant: European Union Intellectual Property Office (represented by: E. Markakis, acting as Agent)

Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO, intervener before the General Court: Global Drinks Finland Oy (Helsinki, Finland) (represented by: T. Talvitie, lawyer)

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 14 September 2022 (Case R 909/2021-1).

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

1.    Dismisses the action;

2.    Orders Shaman Spirits Ltd to pay the costs incurred by Global Drinks Finland Oy, including those which the latter party incurred before the Board of Appeal;

3.    Orders EUIPO to bear its own costs.

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¹     OJ C 15, 16.1.2023.