Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 1 March 2023 –  
Worldwide Brands v EUIPO – Wan (CAMEL)

(Case T‑552/21) (
[1](#t-ECR_62021TJ0552_INF_EN_01-E0001)
)

(EU trade mark – Revocation proceedings – EU word mark CAMEL – Evidence submitted for the first time before the Board of Appeal – Article 95(2) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 – Article 27(4) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/625 – Genuine use of the mark – Article 58(1)(a) of Regulation 2017/1001 – No assessment of some of the evidence submitted)

| 1. | Judicial proceedings – Production of evidence – Time limit – Evidence submitted out of time – Conditions – Decision-making practice of EUIPO which postdates the proceedings – Admissibility  (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 85(3))  (see paragraph 25) |

| 2. | EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Action brought against a decision by the Cancellation Division of EUIPO – Examination by the Board of Appeal – Scope – Evidence submitted for the first time before the Board of Appeal – Account taken – Discretion of the Board of Appeal – Limits  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 95(2); Commission Regulation 2018/625, Art. 27(4))  (see paragraphs 34, 35) |

| 3. | 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 – Review of the legal classification given to the facts of the dispute  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 72(2))  (see paragraph 64) |

| 4. | EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Grounds for revocation – Lack of genuine use of the mark – Proof of use – Genuine use – Definition – Criteria for assessment – Requirement for solid and objective evidence  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 18(1)(a) and 58(1)(a); Commission Regulation 2018/625, Arts 10(3) and 19(1))  (see paragraphs 69-72) |

| 5. | EU trade mark – Surrender, revocation and invalidity – Grounds for revocation – Lack of genuine use of the mark – Proof of use – Genuine use – Definition – Criteria for assessment  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 18(1)(a) and 58(1)(a); Commission Regulation 2018/625, Arts 10(3) and 19(1))  (see paragraph 88) |

| 6. | EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Appeal brought against a decision of a department of EUIPO ruling at first instance and referred to the Board of Appeal – Functional continuity between those two bodies – Examination of the appeal by the Board of Appeal – Scope  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 71(1))  (see paragraph 105) |

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Annuls the decision of the First Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 5 July 2021 (Case R 1548/2020-1) in so far as it maintained the registration of the EU trade mark in respect of ‘shirts’; |

| 2. | Orders EUIPO to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by Worldwide Brands, Inc. Zweigniederlassung Deutschland in the course of the proceedings before the Court; |

| 3. | Orders Mr Eric Guangyu Wan to bear the costs he has incurred in the course of the proceedings before the Court. |

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(
[1](#c-ECR_62021TJ0552_INF_EN_01-E0001)
) [OJ C 431, 25.10.2021](./../../../legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=OJ:C:2021:431:TOC).

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