Case fileReal
Sanrio Company Ltd. v. Río Luna, S.L. et al.
Spanish jewelry firms sold "HOLA GATO" ("Hello Cat") goods featuring a Hello-Kitty-like feline. The EU Trade Mark Court found confusion likely given the near-identical signs and Hello Kitty’s reputation.
Sanrio Company Ltd.,
Plaintiff,
v.
Río Luna, S.L.; Río Star Bisuterías, S.L.; and affiliated costume-jewelry firms,
Defendant.
Docket No.Sentencia No. 11/2018
CourtProvincial Court of Alicante, sitting as EU Trade Mark Court
StatusDecided
The record
- Court
- Provincial Court of Alicante, sitting as EU Trade Mark Court
- Jurisdiction
- Spain
- Docket No.
- Sentencia No. 11/2018
- Resolved
- 2018
- Sanrio’s role
- Plaintiff
- Type
- Trademark
- Claims
- Infringement of well-known HELLO KITTY marks; Likelihood of confusion; Damages
- Counsel — plaintiff/petitioner
- not public
- Counsel — Sanrio side
- not public
What happened
Spanish jewelry firms sold "HOLA GATO" ("Hello Cat") goods featuring a Hello-Kitty-like feline. The EU Trade Mark Court found confusion likely given the near-identical signs and Hello Kitty’s reputation.
Outcome
Sanrio won. First instance found infringement and ordered the conduct stopped plus damages; the Provincial Court of Alicante affirmed on 11 January 2018. Damages awarded; figure not public.
The legal nuance
A clean example of Sanrio as the one enforcing, outside the Miffy context.
Sources of record