Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Seventh Chamber) of 31 May 2018 — Flatworld Solutions v EUIPO — Outsource Professional Services (Outsource 2 India)

(Case T‑340/16)

(EU trade mark — Invalidity proceedings — European Union figurative mark Outsource 2 India — Bad faith — Article 52(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009) (now Article 59(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001)

| 1. | EU trade mark—Appeals procedure—Action before the EU judicature—Jurisdiction of the General Court—Declaratory judgments—Not included  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 65(2) and (3))  (see para. 14) |

| 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—Intention of the applicant—Degree of legal protection of the signs at issue—Commercial logic underlying the registration of the contested sign as an EU trade mark—Chronology of events characterising the filing of the trade mark application  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 52(1)(b))  (see paras 20-25, 36, 41) |

| 3. | EU trade mark—Surrender, revocation and invalidity—Absolute grounds for invalidity—Applicant in bad faith when lodging the trade mark application—Figurative mark Outsource 2 India  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 52(1)(b))  (see paras 46-48) |

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 15 April 2016 (Case R 611/2015-4), relating to invalidity proceedings between Flatworld Solutions and Outsource2India.

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Annuls the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 15 April 2016 (Case R 611/2015-4); |

| 2. | Orders EUIPO to bear its own costs and to pay the costs incurred by Flatworld Solutions Pvt Ltd; |

| 3. | Orders Outsource Professional Services Ltd to bear its own costs. |

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