CJEU considers whether trademark owner can plead infringement of its exclusive rights where mark was revoked for non-use

Par Richard Milchior, le 14 avril 2020

Article publié dans World Trademark Review

On 26 March 2020 the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), Fifth Chamber, issued its decision in AR v Cooper International Spirits LLC  (Case C‑622/18).This request for a preliminary ruling concerned the interpretation of Article 5(1)(b), the first subparagraph of Article 10(1) and Article 12(1) of Directive 2008/95.

Background

The appellant in the main proceedings markets alcohol and spirits. On 5 December 2005 he filed an application for registration of the semifigurative trademark SAINT GERMAIN in France. The mark was registered on 12 May 2006 for goods and services in Classes 30, 32 and 33 for alcoholic beverages (except beers), ciders, digestives, wines and spirits, as well as alcoholic extracts and essences.

On 8 June 2012, having learnt that Cooper International Spirits was distributing under the name St-Germain a liqueur manufactured by St Dalfour and Établissements Gabriel Boudier, the appellant brought proceedings against those three companies before the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris for trademark infringement.

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