EU General Court Annuls EUIPO Decision on Obelix Trademark

The General Court of the European Union annulled a decision by the EUIPO refusing to invalidate the word mark Obelix in relation to weapons, ammunition and explosives. The case was brought by Les Éditions Albert René, owners of the well-known OBELIX mark from the Astérix comic series.

The court found that EUIPO had not properly assessed the reputation of the earlier mark. Evidence of recognition across the EU was not adequately considered in the initial evaluation.

The judgment emphasizes the importance of comprehensive reputation analysis when evaluating invalidity requests based on earlier rights. The matter returns to EUIPO for further consideration consistent with the court's findings.

This ruling provides guidance on how reputation evidence should be weighed in proceedings involving iconic marks with broad cultural recognition.

Sources: https://ieu-monitoring.com/editorial/eu-general-court-annuls-euipo-refusal-to-invalidate-obelix-trademark-for-weapons/1216272 https://curia.europa.eu/site/upload/docs/application/pdf/2026-05/cp260072en.pdf