Since Article 58a of the Statute of the Court of Justice of
the European Union (ECJ) came into force on May 1, 2019, to relieve
judicial duplication, the General Court (GC) of the European Union
has solidified its role as the final decision-maker in almost all
trademark appeals for which it is competent.
The GC publishes approximately 300 judgments in European Union
trademark (EUTM) cases each year, arising from opposition and
cancellation actions at the European Union Intellectual Property
Office (EUIPO).
These judgments cover topics such as distinctiveness, likelihood
of confusion, bad faith and genuine use. Here, we examine five
thought-provoking rulings on absolute grounds of refusals from the
first seven months of 2025, which are likely to be of interest to
trademark practitioners in Europe.
