Judgment of the General Court of 29 November 2023 – Claro v EUIPO – Claranet Europe (Claro)

(Case T-661/22) ¹

(EU trade mark – Invalidity proceedings – EU figurative mark Claro – Earlier EU word mark CLARANET – Relative ground for invalidity – Likelihood of confusion – Article 8(1)(b) and Article 53(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 (now Article 8(1)(b) and Article 60(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001))

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicant: Claro SA (São Paulo, Brazil) (represented by: J. Ferreira Sardinha, lawyer)

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

Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO, intervener before the General Court: Claranet Europe Ltd (Saint Helier, Jersey) (represented by: M. Forde, Solicitor)

Re:

By its action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicant seeks, in essence, the annulment of the decision of the Fifth Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 25 August 2022 (Case R 1674/2021-5).

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

Dismisses the action;

Orders Claro SA to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by Claranet Europe Ltd;

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

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¹     OJ C 7, 9.1.2023.