Judgment of the General Court of 21 June 2023 – Ioulia and Irene Tseti Pharmaceutical Laboratories v EUIPO – Arbora & Ausonia (InterMed Pharmaceutical Laboratories eva intima)
(Joined Cases T-197/22 and T-198/22) 1
(EU trade mark – Opposition proceedings – Application for the EU figurative marks InterMed Pharmaceutical Laboratories eva intima – Earlier EU and national word marks EVAX – Relative ground for refusal – Likelihood of confusion – Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001)
Language of the case: English
Parties
Applicant: Ioulia and Irene Tseti Pharmaceutical Laboratories SA (Athens, Greece) (represented by: C. Chrysanthis, P.-V. Chardalia and A. Vasilogamvrou, lawyers)
Defendant: European Union Intellectual Property Office (represented by: T. Frydendahl, acting as Agent)
Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO, intervener before the General Court: Arbora & Ausonia, SL (Madrid, Spain) (represented by: J. Mora Cortés, lawyer)
Re:
By its actions under Article 263 TFEU, the applicant seeks the annulment of the decisions of the First Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 1 March 2022 in Case R 1244/2021-1 and in Case R 1245/2021-1.
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Annuls the decision of the First Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 1 March 2022 in Case R 1244/2021-1 in so far as the ‘toiletries; body cleaning preparations; cleaning preparations’ in Class 3 and the ‘hygienic preparations; sanitary preparations for medical purposes’ in Class 5 are concerned;
Dismisses the action in Case T-197/22 as to the remainder;
Annuls the decision of the First Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 1 March 2022 in Case R 1245/2021-1;
Orders the parties to bear their own costs in Case T-197/22;
Orders EUIPO and Arbora & Ausonia, SL to pay the costs incurred by Ioulia and Irene Tseti Pharmaceutical Laboratories SA in Case T-198/22.
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1 OJ C 222, 7.6.2022.