Judgment of the General Court of 29 November 2023 – Beauty Boutique v EUIPO – Lightningbolt Europe (Representation of a lightning bolt)

(Case T-12/23) ¹

(EU trade mark – Opposition proceedings – Application for an EU figurative mark representing a lightning bolt – Earlier EU figurative mark representing a lightning bolt – Relative ground for refusal – Likelihood of confusion – Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001)

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicant: Beauty Boutique sp. z o.o. (Warsaw, Poland) (represented by: M. Nowakowski, lawyer)

Defendant: European Union Intellectual Property Office (represented by: A. Ringelhann and J. Ivanauskas, acting as Agents)

Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO, intervener before the General Court: Lightningbolt Europe SA (São Cosme Vale, Portugal) (represented by: P. Sousa e Silva, lawyer)

Re:

By its action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicant seeks the annulment of the decision of the Fifth Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 5 October 2022 (Case R 668/2022-5).

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

Dismisses the action;

Orders Beauty Boutique sp. z o.o. to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by Lightningbolt Europe SA for the purposes of the proceedings before the General Court;

Orders the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to bear its own costs.

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¹     OJ C 94, 13.3.2023.