Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Ninth Chamber) of 6 April 2022 –  
Dorit-DFT v EUIPO – Erwin Suter (DORIT)

(Case T‑208/21) (
[1](#t-ECR_62021TJ0208_INF_EN_01-E0001)
)

(EU trade mark – Invalidity proceedings – International registration designating the European Union – Word mark DORIT – Earlier national company names – Relative ground for refusal – No use in trade of a sign of more than mere local significance – Article 8(4) and Article 52(1)(c) of Regulation (EC) No 40/94 (now Article 8(4) and Article 60(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001))

| 1. | 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 – Re-examination of the facts in the light of evidence not previously submitted before EUIPO bodies – Precluded  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 72)  (see para. 17) |

| 2. | EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Relative grounds for invalidity – Existence of a non-registered mark or another sign used in the course of trade – Conditions – Interpretation in the light of EU law – Assessment by reference to the criteria determined by the national law governing the sign relied on  (Council Regulation No 40/94, Arts 8(4) and 52(1)(c))  (see paras 21-23) |

| 3. | EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Relative grounds for invalidity – Existence of a non-registered mark or another sign used in the course of trade – Conditions – Local scope of sign – Items of evidence  (Council Regulation No 40/94, Arts 8(4) and 52(1)(c))  (see paras 26, 49, 50) |

| 4. | EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Relative grounds for invalidity – Existence of a non-registered mark or another sign used in the course of trade – Use of the sign in trade – Temporal criterion  (Council Regulation No 40/94, Arts 8(4) and 52(1)(c))  (see para. 28) |

| 5. | EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Relative grounds for invalidity – Existence of a non-registered mark or another sign used in the course of trade – Word mark DORIT and company names DORIT Fleischereimaschinen GmbH and DORIT – DFT Fleischereimaschinen GmbH  (Council Regulation No 40/94, Arts 8(4) and 52(1)(c))  (see paras 31, 32, 43, 74) |

| 6. | EU trade mark – Procedural provisions – Probative value of the evidence – Solemn declarations  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 97(1)(f))  (see paras 56, 58) |

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the action; |

| 2. | Orders Dorit-DFT Fleischereimaschinen GmbH to pay the costs. |

---

(
[1](#c-ECR_62021TJ0208_INF_EN_01-E0001)
) [OJ C 228, 14.6.2021](./../../../legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=OJ:C:2021:228:TOC).

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