Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Fifth Chamber) of 4 May 2022 –  
PricewaterhouseCoopers Belastingadviseurs v EUIPO – Haufe-Lexware (TAXMARC)

(Case T‑619/21) (
[1](#t-ECR_62021TJ0619_INF_EN_01-E0001)
)

(EU trade mark – Opposition proceedings – Application for EU word mark TAXMARC – Prior EU figurative mark TAXMAN – Suspension of proceedings – Article 71(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/625)

| 1. | EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Appeals before the Boards of Appeal – Suspension of proceedings – Conditions  (Commission Regulation 2018/625, Recital 17 and Art. 71(1))  (see paras 22-26) |

| 2. | EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Appeals before the Boards of Appeal – Suspension of proceedings – Preliminary examination of the question of the suspension prior to any examination of the appeal  (Commission Regulation 2018/625, Art. 71(1))  (see para. 27) |

| 3. | EU trade mark – Observations of third parties and opposition – Examination of the opposition – Suspension of proceedings – Action for suspension based on an action for invalidity brought against the previous trade mark – Dismissal of the application by reason of the introduction of the said action during opposition proceedings – Not permissible  (Commission Regulation No 2868/95, Art. 1, Rule 20(7)(c))  (see para. 29) |

| 4. | EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Appeals before the Boards of Appeal – Suspension of proceedings – Discretion of the Board of Appeal – Prima facie assessment of the likelihood of success of an application for a declaration of invalidity and of the bearing on the opposition  (Commission Regulation 2018/625, Art. 71(1))  (see para. 32) |

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Annuls the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 21 July 2021 (Case R 131/2021-4); |

| 2. | Orders EUIPO to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by PricewaterhouseCoopers Belastingadviseurs NV for the purposes of the proceedings before the Court; |

| 3. | Orders Haufe-Lexware GmbH & Co. KG to bear its own costs relating to the proceedings before the Court. |

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(
[1](#c-ECR_62021TJ0619_INF_EN_01-E0001)
) [OJ C 471, 22.11.2021](./../../../legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=OJ:C:2021:471:TOC).

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