Newsroom / CNA
The General Court of the EU rejected two appeals made by the Foundation for the Protection of Traditional Cheese named Halloumi against the use of BBQLOUMI and GRILLOUMI by companies in Bulgaria and Sweden.
On Wednesday, the court made its decision and dismissed all claims submitted by the applicant in both cases. The court held that the Board of Appeal's evaluation of the distinctive character of the earlier mark was not flawed, and there was no likelihood of confusion.
The Foundation filed two cases against the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the two companies on February 24th and March 30th, 2022. The cases (T-106/22 and T-168/22) were respectively brought against M. J. Dairies in Bulgaria and Fontana Food in Sweden.
The Foundation had sought cancellation of the registrations of BBQLOUMI and GRILLOUMI. The Republic of Cyprus and the Cyprus Dairy Products Manufacturers Association set up the Foundation for the Protection of Traditional Cheese named Halloumi in 2013. A press release stated that General Court decisions can only be challenged in front of the Court of the EU within two months, based solely on legal grounds.
