Judgment;Information — ECLI:EU:T:2024:61
Date: 2024-02-07
Language of the case: French
Court formation: Third Chamber
Subject matter: Trade marks;Intellectual, industrial and commercial property
Procedure: Action for annulment - successful
Origin: France

Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 7 February 2024 – Casal sport v EUIPO – Tennis d’Aquitaine (CITY STADE) (Case T‑220/23) (1) ( EU trade mark – Revocation proceedings – EU figurative mark CITY STADE – Trade mark which has become the common name in the trade for a product or service in respect of which it is registered – Activity or inactivity of the proprietor – Article 58(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 ) 1. EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Action before the EU judicature – Jurisdiction of the General Court – Review of the lawfulness of decisions of the Boards of Appeal – Annulment or alteration for reasons appearing after judgment was delivered – Precluded (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 72(2) and 95) (see paragraph 18) 2. EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Action before the EU judicature – Jurisdiction of the General Court – Re-evaluation of the facts in the light of evidence produced for the first time before it – Precluded (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 188; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 72) (see paragraph 19) 3. EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Grounds for revocation – Mark which has become, in consequence of acts or inactivity of its proprietor, a common name in the trade – Conditions (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 58(1)(b)) (see paragraphs 27-29, 34, 36, 48, 49) 4. Judicial proceedings – Obligation on the court to respect the framework of the dispute defined by the parties – Obligation on the court to rule solely on the basis of the arguments raised by the parties – None (see paragraph 32) 5. EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Grounds for revocation – Mark which has become, in consequence of acts or inactivity of its proprietor, a common name in the trade – Figurative mark CITY STADE (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 58(1)(b)) (see paragraphs 47, 57, 61, 62) Operative part The Court: 1. Annuls the decision of the Second Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 3 February 2023 (Case R 179/2022‑2); 2. Orders EUIPO to bear its own costs; 3. Orders Tennis d’Aquitaine SAS to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by Sports et loisirs (Casal sport) in the proceedings before the Court and the Board of Appeal. 1 OJ C 223, 26.6.2023.