Information;Judgment — ECLI:EU:T:2024:11
Date: 2024-01-17
Language of the case: German
Court formation: Seventh Chamber
Subject matter: Trade marks;Intellectual, industrial and commercial property
Procedure: Action for annulment - unfounded
Origin: United Kingdom

Judgment of the General Court (Seventh Chamber) of 17 January 2024 – Athlet v EUIPO – Heuver Banden Groothandel (ATHLET) (Case T‑650/22) (1) ( EU trade mark – Invalidity proceedings – EU word mark ATHLET – Absolute ground for invalidity – Bad faith – Article 52(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 (now Article 59(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001) ) 1. EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Absolute grounds for invalidity – Applicant in bad faith when filing the trade mark application – Concept of bad faith – Scope (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 52(1)(b)) (see paragraphs 34-38) 2. EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Absolute grounds for invalidity – Applicant in bad faith when filing the trade mark application – Criteria for assessment – Taking into account all relevant factors at the time of filing of the application for registration – Intention of the applicant – Origin of the disputed trade mark – Commercial logic underlying the registration of the contested sign as an EU trade mark – Chronology of events leading up to the filing of the trade mark application (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 52(1)(b)) (see paragraphs 30-41, 76) 3. EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Absolute grounds for invalidity – Applicant in bad faith when filing the trade mark application – Burden of proof (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 52(1)(b)) (see paragraphs 42, 43, 77) 4. EU trade mark – Procedural provisions – Statement of reasons for decisions – Article 94(1), first sentence, of Regulation 2017/1001 – Scope identical to that of Article 296 TFEU – Recourse by the Board of Appeal to implicit reasoning – Whether permissible – Conditions (Art. 296 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 94(1), first sentence) (see paragraphs 44, 45) 5. EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Absolute grounds for invalidity – Applicant in bad faith when filing the trade mark application – Word mark ATHLET (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 52(1)(b)) (see paragraphs 52-60, 80) 6. EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Appeal brought against a decision of the Cancellation Division of EUIPO – Examination by the Board of Appeal – Scope – Evidence submitted for the first time before the Board of Appeal – Account taken – Discretion of the Board of Appeal (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 95(2); Commission Regulation 2018/625, Art. 27(4)) (see paragraph 67) 7. EU trade mark – Proceedings before the adjudicating bodies of EUIPO – Obligation of EUIPO, including the Boards of Appeal, to adopt decisions within a reasonable time (Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41(1); European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001) (see paragraphs 85-87) 8. EU trade mark – Decisions of EUIPO – Observance of the rights of the defence – Scope of the principle (Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 94(1)) (see paragraphs 91, 97) Operative part The Court: 1. Dismisses the action; 2. Orders Athlet Ltd to bear its own costs and to pay Heuver Banden Groothandel BV’s costs; 3. Orders EUIPO to bear its own costs. 1 OJ C 35, 30.1.2023.