Judgment of the General Court of 15 September 2016 — Trinity Haircare v EUIPO — Advance Magazine Publishers (VOGUE)

(Case T-453/15) ¹

(EU trade mark — Invalidity proceedings — EU figurative trade mark VOGUE — Absolute ground for refusal — No descriptive character — Distinctiveness — Article 52(1)(a), read in conjunction with Article 7(1)(b) and (c) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 — Bad faith — Article 52(1)(b) of Regulation No 207/2009)

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicant: Trinity Haircare AG (Herisau, Switzerland) (represented by: J. Kroher and K. Bach, lawyers)

Defendant: European Union Intellectual Property Office (represented by: J. Lewis and J. Crespo Carrillo, acting as Agents)

Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO, intervening before the General Court: Advance Magazine Publishers, Inc. (New York, New York, United States) (represented by: D. Ivison, Barrister)

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 27 May 2015 (Case R 2426/2014-4) relating to invalidity proceedings between Advance Magazine Publishers and Trinity Haircare.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

Dismisses the action;

Orders Trinity Haircare AG to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and by Advance Magazine Publishers, Inc.

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¹     OJ C 320, 28.9.2015.