Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 5 April 2017 —  
Tractel Greifzug v EUIPO — Shenxi Machinery (Shape of a motor-driven rope winch)

(Case T‑621/15)

(EU trade mark — Invalidity proceedings — Three-dimensional EU trade mark — Shape of a motor-driven rope winch — Absolute ground for refusal — Sign consisting exclusively of the shape of goods which is necessary to obtain a technical result — Article 7(1)(e)(ii) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009)

| 1. | EU trade mark—Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark—Signs of which a trade mark may consist—Condition—Distinctive character  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 4)  (see para. 20) |

| 2. | EU trade mark—Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark—Absolute grounds for refusal—Signs which consist exclusively of the shape of goods which is necessary to obtain a technical result—Identification of the essential characteristics of a three-dimensional sign  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 7(1)(e)(ii))  (see paras 21-23) |

| 3. | EU trade mark—Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark—Absolute grounds for refusal—Signs which consist exclusively of the shape of goods which is necessary to obtain a technical result—Concept—Existence of other shapes allowing the same technical result to be obtained—Not relevant to the ground for refusal  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Arts 7(1)(e)(ii), and 9(1))  (see paras 27, 29) |

| 4. | EU trade mark—Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark—Absolute grounds for refusal—Signs which consist exclusively of the shape of goods which is necessary to obtain a technical result—Shape of a motor-driven rope winch  (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 7(1)(e)(ii))  (see paras 31, 32) |

Re:

ACTION brought against the decision of the First Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 3 September 2015 (Case R 1658/2014-1), relating to invalidity proceedings between Shenxi Machinery and Tractel Greifzug.

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the action; |

| 2. | Orders Tractel Greifzug GmbH to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO); |

| 3. | Orders Shenxi Machinery Co. Ltd to bear its own costs. |

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