Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Seventh Chamber) of 14 March 2018 — Gifi Diffusion v EUIPO — Crocs (Footwear)

(Case T‑424/16)

(Community design — Invalidity proceedings — Registered Community design representing footwear — Earlier Community design — Grounds for invalidity — Duty to state reasons — Article 62 of Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 — Ground raised by the Board of Appeal of its own motion — Powers of the Board of Appeal — Article 63(1) of Regulation No 6/2002)

| 1. | Community designs—Procedural provisions—Statement of reasons for decisions—Article 62, first sentence, of Regulation No 207/2009—Scope identical to that of Article 296 TFEU  (Art. 296 TFEU; Council Regulation No 6/2002, Art. 62, first sentence)  (see para. 29) |

| 2. | Acts of the institutions—Statement of reasons—Obligation—Scope—Correction of an error of reasoning during the proceedings before the Court—Not permissible  (Art. 296 TFEU)  (see para. 34) |

| 3. | Community designs—Procedural provisions—Statement of reasons for decisions—Article 62, first sentence, of Regulation No 207/2009—Scope identical to that of Article 296 TFEU—Recourse by the Board of Appeal to implicit reasoning—Lawfulness—Conditions  (Art. 296 TFEU; Council Regulation No 6/2002, Art. 62, first sentence)  (see paras 35, 36) |

| 4. | Community designs—Procedural provisions—Examination of the facts of the Office’s own motion—Action for invalidity—Examination restricted to the submissions of the parties—Jurisdiction of the Board of Appeal—Ground raised by the Board of Appeal of its own motion—Not included  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Art. 63(1))  (see paras 45, 47, 48) |

| 5. | Community designs—Appeals procedure—Action before the EU judicature—Power of the General Court to alter the contested decision—Limits  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Art. 61(3))  (see para. 51) |

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Third Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 25 April 2016 (Case R 37/2015-3), relating to invalidity proceedings between Gifi Diffusion and Crocs.

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Annuls the decision of the Third Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 25 April 2016 (Case R 37/2015-3) concerning invalidity proceedings between Gifi Diffusion and Crocs, Inc.; |

| 2. | Orders EUIPO to bear its own costs and pay those incurred by Gifi Diffusion in the proceedings before the General Court; |

| 3. | Orders Crocs to bear its own costs. |

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