Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Fifth Chamber) of 14 February 2019 –  
Mouldpro v EUIPO — Wenz Kunststoff (MOULDPRO)

(Case T‑796/17)

(EU trade mark — Invalidity proceedings — EU word mark MOULDPRO — Absolute ground for invalidity — Bad faith — Article 59(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 — Relative grounds for invalidity — Article 60(1)(b) and Article 8(3) of Regulation 2017/1001 — Article 60(1)(c) and Article 8(4) of Regulation 2017/1001)

| 1. | EU trade mark — Surrender, revocation and invalidity — Relative grounds for invalidity — Absence of consent on the part of the proprietor of a mark to the registration applied for by an agent or a representative under its own name — Agent or representative — Concept  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 8(3) and 60(1)(b))  (see paras 22, 23) |

| 2. | EU trade mark — Surrender, revocation and invalidity — Relative grounds for invalidity — Absence of consent on the part of the proprietor of a mark to the registration applied for by an agent or a representative under its own name — Agent or representative — Aim  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 8(3) and 60(1)(b))  (see para. 24) |

| 3. | EU trade mark — Appeals procedure — Action brought against a decision by the Cancellation Division of EUIPO — Examination by the Board of Appeal — Scope  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 95)  (see para. 27) |

| 4. | EU trade mark — Surrender, revocation and invalidity — Relative grounds for invalidity — Existence of an earlier right referred to in Article 8(4) of Regulation No 2017/1001 — Word mark MOULDPRO and company name Mouldpro ApS  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 8(4) and 60(1)(c))  (see paras 50-56, 70-73) |

| 5. | EU trade mark — Surrender, revocation and invalidity — Relative grounds for invalidity — Existence of an earlier right referred to in Article 8(4) of Regulation No 2017/1001 — Conditions — Interpretation in the light of EU law — Assessment by reference to the criteria determined by the national law governing the sign relied on  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(4))  (see paras 61, 62) |

| 6. | Judicial proceedings — Application initiating proceedings — Formal requirements — Brief summary of the pleas in law on which the application is based — Pleas in law not set out in the application — Reference to the whole of the annexes — Inadmissibility  (Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 21, first para.; Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 177(1)(d))  (see para. 65) |

| 7. | EU trade mark — Surrender, revocation and invalidity — Relative grounds for invalidity — Existence of an earlier right referred to in Article 8(4) of Regulation No 2017/1001 — Local significance of sign  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 8(4) and 60(1)(c))  (see para. 69) |

| 8. | EU trade mark — Surrender, revocation and invalidity — Absolute grounds for invalidity — Applicant in bad faith when filing 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 — Origin and use of the sign in dispute — 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  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 8(2) and 59(1)(b))  (see paras 77-84) |

| 9. | EU trade mark — Surrender, revocation and invalidity — Absolute grounds for invalidity — Applicant in bad faith when filing the trade mark application — Word mark MOULDPRO  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 8(2) and 59(1)(b))  (see paras 95-106) |

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 16 October 2017 (Case R 2153/2015-4), relating to invalidity proceedings between Mouldpro and Wenz Kunststoff.

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the action; |

| 2. | Orders Mouldpro ApS to pay the costs. |

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