Judgment of the General Court of 25 October 2023 — Contorno Textil v EUIPO — Harmont & Blaine (GILBERT TECKEL)

(Case T-773/22) (1)

(EU trade mark - Opposition proceedings - Application for an EU figurative mark, representing a dachshund in profile, GILBERT TECKEL - Earlier EU figurative mark representing a dachshund in profile - Relative ground for refusal - Likelihood of confusion - Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 - Equal treatment - Legal certainty)

(C/2023/1303)

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicant: Contorno Textil, SL (Almedinilla, Spain) (represented by: E. Sugrañes Coca and C. Sotomayor Garcia, lawyers)

Defendant: European Union Intellectual Property Office (represented by: D. Stoyanova-Valchanova and V. Ruzek, acting as Agents)

Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO, intervener before the General Court: Harmont & Blaine SpA (Caivano, Italy) (represented by: A. Mascetti, lawyer)

Re:

By its action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicant seeks the alteration and, in the alternative, the annulment of the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 10 October 2022 (Case R 372/2022-4).

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

1.	Dismisses the action;

2.	Orders Contorno Textil, SL to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by Harmont & Blaine SpA;

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

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(1)   OJ C 45, 6.2.2023.