Order — ECLI:EU:T:2018:18
Date: 2018-01-18
Language of the case: English
Court formation: Fifth Chamber
Subject matter: Trade marks;Intellectual, industrial and commercial property
Procedure: Action for annulment - unfounded;Action for annulment - inadmissible
Origin: Germany

Order of the General Court (Fifth Chamber) of 18 January 2018 – W&O medical esthetics v EUIPO — Fidia farmaceutici (HYALSTYLE) (Case T‑178/17) (EU trade mark — Invalidity proceedings — EU word mark HYALSTYLE — Bad faith — Article 52(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 (now Article 59(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001) — Request for the hearing of witnesses — Article 75 of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 (now Article 94(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001) — Action in part manifestly inadmissible and in part manifestly unfounded in law) 1. EU trade mark — Procedural provisions — Measures of inquiry — Hearing of witnesses — Discretion of the Board of Appeal (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 78(1)(b); Commission Regulation No 2868/95, Art. 1, Rule 57) (see paras 17-19) 2. EU trade mark — Surrender, revocation and invalidity — Absolute grounds for invalidity — Applicant in bad faith when lodging the trade mark application — Criteria for assessment — Taking into account of all relevant factors at the time of filing the application for registration — Applicant’s knowledge that a third party is using an identical or similar sign — Circumstance not sufficient to establish bad faith (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 52(1)(b)) (see paras 28-30) Re: Action brought against the decision of the First Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 17 January 2017 (Case R 872/2016-1), relating to invalidity proceedings between W&O medical esthetics and Fidia farmaceutici. Operative part 1. The action is dismissed. 2. W&O medical esthetics GmbH shall bear its own costs and those of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and of Fidia farmaceutici SpA.