Judgment of the General Court (Ninth Chamber) of 17 November 2021 –
Société des produits Nestlé v EUIPO – Amigüitos pets & life (THE ONLY ONE by alphaspirit wild and perfect)

(Case T‑616/20)

(EU trade mark – Opposition proceedings – Application for the EU figurative mark THE ONLY ONE by alphaspirit wild and perfect – Earlier EU word mark ONE – Relative grounds for refusal – Article 8(1)(b) and (5) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 (now Article 8(1)(b) and (5) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001) – Decision taken following the annulment of an earlier decision by the General Court – Article 72(6) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 – Res judicata)

1.      Action for annulment – Judgment annulling a measure – Effects – Obligation to implement – Scope – Both the operative part and the grounds of the judgment to be taken into account

(Art. 266 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 72(6))

(see paras 36, 37)

2.      EU trade mark – Appeals procedure – Action before the EU judicature – Power of the General Court to alter the contested decision – Limits

(European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 72)

(see para. 48)

3.      Judicial proceedings – Res judicata – Scope

(see para. 51)

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Fifth Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 29 July 2020 (Case R 424/2020-5), relating to opposition proceedings between Société des produits Nestlé and Amigüitos pets & life.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Annuls the decision of the Fifth Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 29 July 2020 (Case R 424/2020-5);

2. Orders EUIPO to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by Société des produits Nestlé SA for the purposes of the proceedings before the General Court;

3. Orders Amigüitos pets & life, SA to bear its own costs.