Judgment of the General Court of 6 March 2024 – VF International v EUIPO – Super Brand Licencing (GEOGRAPHICAL NORWAY EXPEDITION)

(Case T-639/22) ¹

(EU trade mark – Invalidity proceedings – EU figurative mark GEOGRAPHICAL NORWAY EXPEDITION – Absolute ground for invalidity – Bad faith – Article 52(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 (now Article 59(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001) – Relative ground for invalidity – Damage to reputation – Article 8(5) and Article 53(1)(a) of Regulation No 207/2009 (now Article 8(5) and Article 60(1)(a) of Regulation 2017/1001))

Language of the case: French

Parties

Applicant: VF International Sagl (Stabio, Switzerland) (represented by: Y. Bizollon, lawyer)

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

Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO, intervener before the General Court: Super Brand Licencing SAS (Villeurbanne, France) (represented by: T. de Haan and A. Sion, lawyers)

Re:

By its action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicant seeks the annulment of the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 23 August 2022 (Case R 124/2022-4).

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

Annuls the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 23 August 2022 (Case R 124/2022-4);

Orders EUIPO and Super Brand Licencing SAS each to pay, in addition to their own costs, half of the costs incurred by VF International Sagl.

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¹     OJ C 463, 5.12.2022.