The General Court of the EU has issued a Judgement which upholds the application filed by Berenguer & Pomares and overturns the resolution ruled by the Board of Appeal of the EUIPO granting the registration of the EU trade mark “Queso y Torta de la Serena” to the Regulatory Council of the PDO “Queso de la Serena”. The European Court established in Luxembourg has declared that the Office dealing with the registration of EU trade marks must examine whether the word “Torta”, as part of the PDO “Torta del Casar”, is a traditional term deserving protection –an examination overlooked in the resolution of the Board of Appeal–.
Likewise, as a consequence of the above, the General Court of the UE makes clear that an evocation of the PDO “Torta del Casar” (and therefore an infringement of this right) may exists when reproducing the term “Torta” in connection with cheese not certified as PDO “Torta del Casar”, and also declares that the Board of Appeal of the EUIPO infringed the EU law applicable to designations of origin when it dismissed the possibility of this kind of infringement. Therefore, it is now clear that it may exist a PDO infringement when the term used is a traditional term part of the relevant PDO (such as “Torta”), regardless of the fact that the geographical term of said PDO (in the case at hand, “del Casar”) is not used at all.
This new judgement, which implies a great endorsement of the efforts made by the Regulatory Council of the PDO “Torta del Casar” in terms of defence and promotion of the PDO, has been widely and immediately covered by the media. See below the link to some of the articles published in this respect in the main national newspaper:
- “La Torta del Casar derrota al Queso de la Serena en la justicia europea” (Diario E País)
- “El ‘tortazo’ de El Casar a La Serena: la torta es solo una (de momento)” (El Confidencial)
- “La ‘pelea quesera’ tiene ganador: la Torta del Casar derrota en los tribunales al Queso de la Serena” (20 minutos)
- “La Torta del Casar cacereña gana la ‘guerra’ de marcas a su paisano extremeño Queso de la Serena” (Eldiario.es)
- La UE falla que el queso de La Serena (Badajoz) no puede ser ‘torta’ como la del Casar (Cáceres) (El Independiente)
- Justicia UE falla a favor de la Torta del Casar frente a Queso de la Serena (La Vanguardia)
