Judgment — ECLI:EU:T:2018:217
Date: 2018-04-24
Language of the case: German
Court formation: Second Chamber
Subject matter: Trade marks;Intellectual, industrial and commercial property
Procedure: Action for annulment - unfounded;Action for annulment - successful
Origin: Germany

Judgment of the General Court of 24 April 2018 — VSM v EUIPO (WE KNOW ABRASIVES) (Case T-297/17) 1 (European Union trade mark — Application for EU word mark WE KNOW ABRASIVES — Mark consisting of an advertising slogan — Competence of the Board of Appeal in appeals limited to part of the services covered by the application for registration — Article 64(1) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 (now Article 71(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001) — Absolute ground for refusal — Lack of distinctiveness — Article 7(1)(b) of Regulation No 207/2009 (now Article 7(1)(b) of Regulation 2017/1001)) Language of the case: German Parties Applicant: VSM.Vereinigte Schmirgel- und Maschinen-Fabriken AG (Hanover, Germany) (represented by: M. Horak, lawyer) Defendant: European Union Intellectual Property Office (represented by: W. Schramek and A. Söder, acting as Agents) Re: Action brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 6 March 2017 (Case R 1595/2016-4) concerning an application for registration of the word sign WE KNOW ABRASIVES as an EU trade mark. Operative part of the judgment The Court: 1. Annuls the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 6 March 2017 (Case 1595/2016-4) in so far as it refused registration of the word sign WE KNOW ABRASIVES for services in Class 35 corresponding to the following description: ‘Advertising; commercial management services; secretariat services; wholesale service in the field of metallic construction products; commercial administration’; 2. Rejects the remainder of the form of order sought of VSM.Vereinigte Schmirgel- und Maschinen-Fabriken AG; 3. Orders VSM.Vereinigte Schmirgel- und Maschinen-Fabriken AG and EUIPO each to bear its own costs. ____________ 1 OJ C 231, 17.7.2017.