Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the Court (Ninth Chamber) of 29 November 2018 — Alcohol Countermeasure Systems (International) v EUIPO

(Case C‑340/17 P) (
[1](#t-ECR_62017CJ0340_INF_EN_01-E0001)
)

(Appeal — EU trade mark — Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 — Invalidity proceedings — Declaration of invalidity on the basis of an earlier United Kingdom trade mark — Genuine use — Proof — Effects of the procedure for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on the proceedings before the General Court and the lawfulness of the decision at issue — None)

| 1. | Appeal — Judgment of the Court of Justice — Obligation to address the pleas and claims of the parties — Scope  (Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58, first para.)  (see para. 34) |

| 2. | Appeal — Grounds — Incorrect assessment of the facts and evidence — Inadmissibility — Review by the Court of the assessment of the facts and evidence — Possible only where the clear sense of the evidence has been distorted  (Art. 256(1), second para., TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58, first para.)  (see paras 40, 79) |

| 3. | EU trade mark — Surrender, revocation and invalidity — Causes of revocation — Absence of genuine use of a trade mark — Use of the mark in a form differing by elements not altering the distinctive character of the mark — Use of a sign identical to that constituting the earlier mark and itself registered as a trade mark under a different number from the earlier mark  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 15(1), first and second para., (a))  (see paras 57-59) |

| 4. | Appeal — Grounds — Incorrect assessment of the facts and evidence — Inadmissibility — Review by the Court of the assessment of the facts and evidence — Possible only where the clear sense of the evidence has been distorted — Plea alleging distortion of the facts — Need to indicate precisely the evidence alleged to have been distorted and show the errors of appraisal which led to that distortion  (Art. 256(1), second para, TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58, first para.)  (see para. 62) |

| 5. | Appeal — Grounds — Admissibility — Question of law — Determination of the criteria to be employed for the assessment of genuine use of the earlier mark — Included  (Art. 256(1), second para., TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58, first para.)  (see para. 76) |

| 6. | Appeal — Grounds — Plea submitted for the first time in the context of the appeal — Inadmissibility — Plea seeking solely to contest the merits of the judgment under appeal — Plea arising from the judgment under appeal — Admissibility  (Art. 256 TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58, first para.)  (see para. 77) |

| 7. | Judicial proceedings — Application initiating proceedings — Formal requirements — Brief summary of the pleas in law on which the application is based — General reference to documents annexed to the application — Inadmissibility  (Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 21, first para.)  (see para. 86) |

| 8. | Judicial proceedings — Statement of reasons for judgments — Scope — Reliance by the General Court on implied reasoning — Lawfulness — Conditions  (Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 36)  (see para. 89) |

| 9. | EU trade mark — Appeals procedure — Action before the EU judicature — Jurisdiction of the General Court — Review of the lawfulness of decisions of the Boards of Appeal — Annulment or variation for reasons appearing after judgment was delivered — Not included  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 65(2))  (see para. 116) |

| 10. | Member States — Withdrawal from the European Union — Decision of a Member State to initiate withdrawal proceedings — Impact of the notification of withdrawal on the application of EU law in that Member State — No impact before the actual withdrawal  (Art. 50 TEU; Council Regulation No 207/2009)  (see para. 118) |

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the appeal; |

| 2. | Orders Alcohol Countermeasure Systems (International) Inc. to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO); |

| 3. | Orders the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to bear its own costs. |

---

(
[1](#c-ECR_62017CJ0340_INF_EN_01-E0001)
) [OJ C 347, 16.10.2017](./../../../legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=OJ:C:2017:347:TOC).

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