Judgment of the Court (Fourth Chamber) of 3 June 2021 – Yokohama Rubber and EUIPO v Pirelli Tyre
(Joined Cases C‑818/18 P and C‑6/19 P) ( 1 )
(Appeal – EU trade mark – Absolute grounds for refusal or invalidity of registration – Sign consisting exclusively of the shape of goods which is necessary to obtain a technical result – Regulation (EC) No 40/94 – Article 7(1)(e)(ii) – Sign consisting of a shape which does not represent a significant part of the goods)
- Appeal – Grounds – Mistaken assessment of the facts and evidence – Inadmissibility – Review by the Court of the assessment of the facts and evidence – Possible only where the facts or evidence have been distorted
(Art. 256(1) TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58, first para.)
(see para. 49)
- 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 sign
(Council Regulation No 40/94, Art. 7(1)(e)(ii))
(see para. 60)
Operative part
The Court:
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Dismisses the appeals in Cases C‑818/18 P and C‑6/19 P.
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Orders The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to bear their own costs in relation to the appeal proceedings in Cases C‑818/18 P and C‑6/19 P and to pay, in equal parts, the costs incurred by Pirelli Tyre SpA in relation to those proceedings.
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Orders the European Association of Trade Mark Owners (Marques) to bear its own costs.
( 1 ) OJ C 148, 29.4.2019.