On Friday 9 September 2022 the Grand Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) convened its first ever oral hearing, in Cases R 1613/2019-G and R 1238/2019-G.
The appeals concern an invalidity request made inter alia by the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs against the British supermarket chain, Iceland Foods Limited, and deals principally with the alleged descriptiveness and non-distinctiveness of the mark ICELAND in relation to a range of goods and services in Classes 7, 11, 16, 29, 30, 31, 32 and 35.
Philip Roberts KC attended the hearing for Iceland Foods Limited as part of an international team of lawyers instructed by Mishcon de Reya LLP. The Grand Board reserved judgment on the appeals.