Judgment of the General Court (Fourth Chamber) of 23 September 2015 —
Mechadyne International v OHIM (FlexValve)
(Case T‑588/14)
Community trade mark — Application for a Community figurative mark FlexValve — Absolute grounds for refusal — Descriptive character — Lack of distinctive character — Article 7(1)(b) and (c) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 — Rights of the defence — Duty to state reasons — Article 75 of Regulation No 207/2009
1.                     Community trade mark — Decisions of the Office — Observance of the rights of the defence — Scope of the principle (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 75, second sentence) (see paras 12, 13)
2.                     Community trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the Community trade mark — Absolute grounds for refusal — Marks composed exclusively of signs or indications capable of designating the characteristics of a product or service — Concept (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 7(1)(c)) (see paras 20-22)
3.                     Community trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the Community trade mark — Absolute grounds for refusal — Marks composed exclusively of signs or indications capable of designating the characteristics of a product or service — Figurative mark FlexValve (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 7(1)(c)) (see paras 23, 24, 29, 30, 40, 52)
4.                     Community trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the Community trade mark — Absolute grounds for refusal — Marks composed exclusively of signs or indications capable of designating the characteristics of a product or service — Concept — Mark composed of a word or neologism resulting from a combination of elements (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 7(1)(c)) (see paras 34, 35)
5.                     Community trade mark — Procedural provisions — Statement of reasons for decisions — Article 75, first sentence, of Regulation No 207/2009 — Scope identical to that of Article 296 TFEU (Art. 296 TFEU; Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 75, first sentence) (see paras 57, 58)
6.                     Acts of the institutions — Statement of reasons — Obligation — Scope — Plea alleging absence or inadequacy of the statement of reasons — Plea alleging incorrectness of the statement of reasons — Distinction (Art. 296 TFEU) (see para. 59)
7.                     Community trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the Community trade mark — Absolute grounds for refusal — Separate examination of the grounds for refusal in relation to each of the goods or services covered by the application for registration — Obligation to state the reasons for refusing to register — Scope (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Arts 7(1), and 75, first sentence) (see paras 65-68)
Re:
ACTION brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of OHIM of 3 June 2014 (Case R 2435/2013-4), concerning an application for registration of the figurative sign FlexValve as a Community trade mark.
Operative part
The Court:
1.
Dismisses the action;
2.
Orders Mechadyne International Ltd to pay the costs.