Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 22 June 2022 –  
Unite the Union v EUIPO – WWRD Ireland (WATERFORD)

(Case T‑739/20) (
[1](#t-ECR_62020TJ0739_INF_EN_01-E0001)
)

(EU trade mark – Revocation proceedings – EU word mark WATERFORD – Action for annulment – Article 63(3) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 – Admissibility – Trade mark liable to mislead the public – Article 51(1)(c) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 (now Article 58(1)(c) of Regulation 2017/1001))

| 1. | Fundamental rights – Right to effective judicial protection – Right to an effective remedy – Scope  (Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 47, first para.)  (see para. 27) |

| 2. | EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Action before the EU judicature – Jurisdiction of the General Court – Review of the legality of decisions of the Boards of Appeal – Annulment or variation for reasons appearing after judgment was delivered – Precluded  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 72(2) and 95)  (see para. 33) |

| 3. | EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Action before the EU judicature – Jurisdiction of the General Court – Review of the legality of decisions of the Boards of Appeal – Re-examination of the facts in the light of evidence not previously submitted before EUIPO bodies – Precluded  (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 188; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 72 and 95)  (see para. 34) |

| 4. | EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Causes of revocation – Trade mark liable to mislead the public – Conditions  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 51(1)(c))  (see paras 47, 50, 51) |

| 5. | EU trade mark – Procedural provisions – Probative value of the evidence – Opinion poll  (see paras 56, 57) |

| 6. | EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Causes of revocation – Mark liable to mislead the public – Word mark WATERFORD  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 51(1)(c))  (see paras 49, 52, 65, 66) |

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the action; |

| 2. | Orders Unite the Union to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by WWRD Ireland IPCO LLC; |

| 3. | Orders the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to bear its own costs. |

---

(
[1](#c-ECR_62020TJ0739_INF_EN_01-E0001)
) [OJ C 62, 22.2.2021](./../../../legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=OJ:C:2021:062:TOC).

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