DECISION
of the First Board of Appeal
of 14 September 2017
In Case R 1776/2016-1
Entertainment One UK Limited Astley Baker Davies Ltd |
|
45 Warren Street London W1T 6AG United Kingdom
|
Invalidity Applicants / Appellants |
represented by Niall Trainor, 45 Warren Street, London W1T 6AG, United Kingdom
v
Pan Xianhao |
|
Via Principe Amedeo, 180 00185 Roma Italy
|
EUTM Proprietor / Respondent |
represented by Maurizio Oliva, via Cicerone n. 62, 00193 Roma, Italy
APPEAL relating to Cancellation Proceedings No 10 686 C (European Union trade mark registration No 11 775 509)
The First Board of Appeal
composed of Th. M. Margellos (Chairperson), C. Rusconi (Rapporteur) and Ph. Von Kapff (Member)
Registrar: H. Dijkema
gives the following
Decision
Summary of the facts
By an application filed on 27 April 2013, Pan Xianhao (‘the EUTM proprietor’) sought to register the figurative mark
for the following list of goods:
Class 25 – Clothing, footwear, headgear.
The EUTM proprietor claimed the colours:
Yellow, light blue, pink, red, green, white, black.
The application was published on 6 June 2013 and the mark was registered on 13 September 2013.
On 2 April 2015, Entertainment One UK Limited and Astley Baker Davies Ltd (‘the invalidity applicants’) filed a request for a declaration of invalidity of the registered mark for all the above goods.
The grounds of the request for a declaration of invalidity were those laid down in Articles 53(1) EUTMR in relation to Article 8(1)(b) EUTMR, namely a likelihood of confusion with an earlier trade mark and Article 53(2) EUTMR, namely a conflict with an earlier copyright.
The request for
declared the invalidity of was based on the following earlier rights:
As regards Article 53(1), in relation to Article 8(1)(b), EUTMR, a likelihood of confusion with an earlier trade mark: European Union trade mark No 10 186 261
filed on 9 August 2011 and registered on 23 February 2012 for the following goods:
Class 25 – Clothing, footwear, headgear.
As regards Article 52(2) EUTMR, namely a conflict with an earlier copyright, the following sign:
The Cancellation Division asked the invalidity applicants to identify the earlier copyright on which the application was based. On 26 May 2015, the invalidity applicants submitted their arguments to identify their earlier copyright.
In their arguments, the invalidity applicants made reference to USA copyright registration No VA 1 329 059, registered on 19 August 2005 and Chinese copyright registration No 113 418 registered on 4 June 2014. The invalidity applicants also submitted the following documents:
Chinese certificate No 113 418, not translated into English, for the following signs:
