Information;Judgment — ECLI:EU:T:2022:813
Date: 2022-12-14
Language of the case: German
Court formation: Sixth Chamber
Subject matter: Trade marks;Intellectual, industrial and commercial property
Procedure: Action for annulment - unfounded
Origin: Germany

Judgment of the General Court of 14 December 2022 – Agrarfrost v EUIPO – McCain (Shape of a smiley) (Case T-553/21) 1 (EU trade mark – Revocation proceedings – Three-dimensional EU trade mark – Shape of a smiley – Genuine use of the mark – Article 18(1), second subparagraph, point (a), and Article 58(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 – Nature of use – No alteration of distinctive character) Language of the case: German Parties Applicant: Agrarfrost GmbH & Co. KG (Wildeshausen, Germany) (represented by: A. Ebert-Weidenfeller and H. Förster, lawyers) Defendant: European Union Intellectual Property Office (represented by: E. Nicolás Gómez and D. Hanf, acting as Agents) Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO, intervener before the General Court: McCain GmbH (Eschborn, Germany) (represented by: C. Schmitt and M. Kinkeldey, lawyers) Re: By its action based on Article 263 TFEU, the applicant seeks annulment of the decision of the Fifth Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 28 June 2021 (Case R 1088/2020-5). Operative part of the judgment The Court: 1. Dismisses the action; 2. Orders Agrarfrost GmbH & Co. KG to pay the costs. ____________ 1 OJ C 422, 18.10.2021.