Information;Judgment — ECLI:EU:T:2021:592
Date: 2021-09-15
Language of the case: English
Court formation: Fifth Chamber, Extended Composition
Subject matter: Trade marks;Intellectual, industrial and commercial property
Procedure: Action for annulment - successful
Origin: France

Judgment of the General Court of 15 September 2021 – MHCS v EUIPO – Lidl Stiftung (Shade of the colour orange) (Case T-274/20) 1 (EU trade mark – Invalidity proceedings – Figurative EU mark depicting a shade of the colour orange – Absolute ground for refusal – Article 7(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 40/94 (now Article 7(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001) – Examination of the facts of the EUIPO’s own motion – Article 95(1) of Regulation 2017/1001 – Nature of the mark – Colour mark – Right to be heard – Article 94 of Regulation 2017/1001) Language of the case: English Parties Applicant: MHCS (Épernay, France) (represented by: O. Vrins and B. Raus, lawyers) Defendant: European Union Intellectual Property Office (represented by: A. Söder and V. Ruzek, acting as Agents) Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO, intervener before the General Court: Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG (Neckarsulm, Germany) (represented by: M. Kefferpütz and K. Wagner, lawyers) Re: Action brought against the decision of the First Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 24 February 2020 (Case R 2392/2018-1), relating to invalidity proceedings between Lidl Stiftung & Co. & MHCS. Operative part of the judgment The Court: Annuls the decision of the First Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 24 February 2020 (Case R 2392/2018-1); Orders EUIPO to pay, in addition to its own costs, half of the costs incurred by MHCS; Orders Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG to pay, in addition to its own costs, half of the costs incurred by MHCS. ____________ 1 OJ C 247, 27.7.2020.