Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Sixth Chamber) of 3 May 2018 –  
J-M.-E.V. e hijos v EUIPO — Masi (MASSI)

(Case T‑2/17)

(EU trade mark — Invalidity proceedings — Application for registration of the EU word mark MASSI — Earlier national word mark MASI — Article 56(3) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 (now Article 63(3) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001) — Res judicata — Article 53(1)(a) and Article 8(2)(c) of Regulation No 207/2009 (now Article 60(1)(a) and Article 8(2)(c) of Regulation 2017/1001) — Well-known mark within the meaning of Article 6bis of the Paris Convention)

| 1. | EU trade mark—Surrender, revocation and invalidity—Invalidity proceedings—Admissibility—Conditions  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 56(3))  (see para. 24) |

| 2. | EU trade mark—Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark—Relative grounds for refusal—Opposition by the proprietor of an identical or similar earlier mark well known in a Member State—Conditions  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Arts 8(2)(c) and 53(1)(a))  (see paras 40, 75) |

| 3. | EU trade mark—Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark—Relative grounds for refusal—Opposition by the proprietor of an identical or similar earlier mark well known in a Member State—Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark—Word marks MASSI and MASI  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(2)(c))  (see paras 43, 76, 77) |

| 4. | EU trade mark—Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark—Relative grounds for refusal—Opposition by the proprietor of an earlier identical or similar mark enjoying a reputation—Protection of well-known earlier mark extended to dissimilar goods or services—Conditions—Reputation of the mark in the Member State or the EU—Meaning—Criteria for assessment  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(5))  (see paras 53, 54) |

| 5. | 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—Account taken by the General Court of matters of law and fact not previously raised before the departments of EUIPO—Not included  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 65)  (see para. 81) |

| 6. | EU trade mark—Appeals procedure—Action before the EU judicature—Power of the General Court to alter the contested decision—Limits  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 65)  (see para. 82) |

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the First Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 4 October 2016 (R 793/2015-1), relating to invalidity proceedings between Mr Masi and J-M.-E.V. e hijos.

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Annuls the decision of the First Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 4 October 2016 (R 793/2015-1); |

| 2. | Orders EUIPO to pay, in addition to its own costs, those incurred by J-M.-E.V. e hijos, SRL; |

| 3. | Orders Mr Alberto Masi to bear his own costs. |

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