Judgment;Information — ECLI:EU:T:2019:868
Date: 2019-12-18
Language of the case: Spanish
Court formation: Third Chamber
Subject matter: Trade marks;Intellectual, industrial and commercial property
Procedure: Action for annulment - successful
Origin: Spain

Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 18 December 2019 – Gres de Aragón v EUIPO (GRES ARAGÓN) (Case T‑624/18) (EU trade mark — Application for the EU figurative mark GRES ARAGÓN — Absolute ground for refusal — No distinctive character — Article 7(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 — No descriptive character — Article 7(1)(c) of Regulation 2017/1001 — Obligation to state reasons — Error of law) 1. EU trade mark — Appeals procedure — Action before the EU judicature — Jurisdiction of the General Court — Direction addressed to the Office — Not included (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 72(6)) (see para. 15) 2. 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 (Art. 296 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 94(1), first sentence) (see paras 26, 27) 3. EU trade mark — Decisions of the Office — Principle of equal treatment — Principle of sound administration — EUIPO's previous decision-making practice — Principle of legality — Need for a strict and complete examination in each particular case (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001) (see paras 28, 29) 4. EU trade mark — Appeals procedure — Action before the EU judicature — Legality of the decision of a Board of Appeal adjudicating in opposition proceedings — Challenged by the adducing of new facts — Not permissible — Account taken, for the purposes of interpreting EU law, of EU, national or international case-law not cited before the OHIM bodies — Whether permissible (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 72) (see para. 32) 5. Acts of the institutions — Statement of reasons — Obligation — Scope — Correction of an error of reasoning during the proceedings before the Court — Not permissible (Art. 296 TFEU) (see para. 39) 6. EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark — Absolute grounds for refusal — Marks composed exclusively of signs or indications capable of designating the characteristics of a product or service — Assessment of the descriptive nature of a sign — Geographical names (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 7(1)(c)) (see para. 42) 7. EU trade mark — Decisions of the Office — Legality — EUIPO's previous decision-making practice (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001) (see para. 44) Re: Action brought against the decision of the First Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 16 August 2018 (Case R 2269/2017-1), concerning an application for registration of the figurative sign GRES ARAGÓN as an EU trade mark. Operative part The Court: 1. Annuls the decision of the First Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 16 August 2018 (Case R 2269/2017-1); 2. Orders EUIPO to pay the costs.