在 2022 年 12 月 15 日的一項決定中，歐洲知識產權局（“EUIPO”）的上訴大委員會（“GBA”）駁回了 Iceland Foods Limited （“Iceland Foods”）針對註銷部 2019 年 4 月 5 日宣布其歐洲商標ICELAND無效的決定提出的上訴。 這標誌著備受矚目的歐洲商標糾紛的結束。

Iceland Foods 於 2002 年 4 月申請註冊商標 ICELAND，用於第 7、11、16、29、30、31、32 和 35 類商品和服務。該商標於 2004 年公佈，而然後於 2014 年 12 月註冊。2016 年 11 月， 冰島外交部與冰島其他機構一起，向歐盟知識產權局註銷部申請了註冊商標的無效宣告。

在 2019 年 4 月 5 日的一項決定中，註銷部認為，在提交商標註冊申請之日，相關公眾認為有爭議的商標是商品和服務地理來源的描述性標誌，並且適用第 7(1)(c) 條的歐洲共同體商標條例（“EUTMR”）宣布該商標無效。該條款確實指出，「僅由在商業活動中可用於標明商品的種類、質量、數量、用途、價值、原產地，或生產商品或提供服務的時間的符號或標誌組成的商標，或標明商品或服務的其他特征的符號標誌組成的商標」不得予以註冊。

Iceland Foods 於 2019 年 6 月針對註銷部的決定提出上訴。隨後，第一上訴委員會將此案轉交上訴大委員會，以澄清某些法律問題，尤其是與第 7(1)(c) 條在歐洲共同體商標注銷程序中的應用有關的問題。

在審查了當事方和其他相關團體或機構提交的意見後，上訴大委員會命令親自進行口頭審理。有趣的是，這是上訴大委員會首次在上訴一级進行口頭審理。

在口頭審理之後，上訴大委員會得出結論，「相關公眾會將爭議商標視為如此指定的商品和服務源自冰島的標誌」，並確認註銷部的結論，即該商標違反了歐洲共同體商標條例第 7(1)(c) 條的規定被註冊。

從這個意義上說，上訴大委員會解釋，「歐洲共同體商標條例第 7(1)(c) 條追求符合公共利益的目標，要求所有可能用於指定申請商標注冊的商品或服務特徵的符號或標誌仍然由企業自由使用，以便企業在描述自己商品的相同特性時可以使用」相同符號或標誌」。 對於上訴機構來說，「地名仍然可用符合公共利益，尤其是因為地名可能表明相關商品類別的質量和其他特徵，而且還可能以各種方式影響消費者的品味」。

參考資料：Grand_Board_Decisions_en.pdf (europa.eu) | 20221215_R1238_2019-G.pdf | The Iceland Story – About Iceland | REGULATION (EU) 2017/ 1001 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL - of 14 June 2017 - on the European trade mark (europa.eu) | EUIPO - Boards of A (europa.eu)

Iceland Foods loses European trademark battle against the country of Iceland

In a decision dated 15 December 2022, the Grand Board of Appeal (“GBA”) of the European Intellectual Property Office (“EUIPO”) dismissed the appeal lodged by Iceland Foods Limited (“Iceland Foods”) against a decision from the Cancellation Division, dated 5 April 2019, which declared its European trademark ICELAND invalid. This marks the end of a high-profile European trademark dispute. 

Iceland Foods applied to register the word mark ICELAND in April 2002, for goods and services in class 7, 11, 16, 29, 30, 31, 32 and 35. The mark was published in 2004 and then registered in December 2014. In November 2016, the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs, along with other Icelandic institutions, applied for a declaration of invalidity of the registered mark before the Cancellation Division of the EUIPO.  

In a decision dated 5 April 2019, the Cancellation Division held that on the date of filing the contested mark was perceived by the relevant public as a descriptive indication of the geographic origin of the goods and services and, applying Article 7(1)(c) of the European Trademark Regulation (“EUTMR”), declared that trademark to be invalid. This article indeed states that “trademarks which consist exclusively of signs or indications which may serve, in trade, to designate the kind, quality, quantity, intended purpose, value, geographical origin or the time of production of the goods or of rendering of the service, or other characteristics of the goods or service” shall not be registered.

Iceland Foods lodged an appeal against the decision of the Cancellation Division in June 2019. The case was then referred by the First Board of Appeal to the GBA for clarification on certain legal issues, pertaining in particular to the application of Article 7(1)(c) EUTMR in trademark cancellation proceedings.

After having examined the observations submitted by the parties and other interested groups or bodies, the GBA ordered that oral proceedings be held in person. Interestingly enough, this was the first instance of oral proceedings ever being held at the opposition level before the GBA.

Following the oral proceedings, the GBA concluded that “the mark at issue would be perceived by the relevant public as an indication that the goods and services so designated originate from Iceland” and confirmed the findings of the Cancellation Division that the mark has been registered contrary to the provisions of Article 7(1)(c) EUTMR.

In this sense, the GBA explains that “Article 7(1)(c) EUTMR pursues an aim that is in the public interest, which requires that all signs or indications which may serve to designate characteristics of the goods or services in respect of which registration is sought remain freely available to all undertakings in order that they may use them when describing the same characteristics of their own goods”. And for the appellate body, “it is in the public interest that [geographical names] remain available, not least because they may be an indication of the quality and other characteristics of the categories of goods concerned, and may also, in various ways, influence consumer tastes”.

Reference materials: Grand_Board_Decisions_en.pdf (europa.eu) | 20221215_R1238_2019-G.pdf | The Iceland Story – About Iceland | REGULATION (EU) 2017/ 1001 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL - of 14 June 2017 - on the European trade mark (europa.eu) | EUIPO - Boards of A (europa.eu)

by 黃愷蜜 顧問