ORDER OF THE GENERAL COURT (Third Chamber)
7 October 2013(1)
(Community trade mark – Opposition – Withdrawal of the opposition – No need to adjudicate)
In Case T-191/12,
Roland SE, established in Essen (Germany), represented by O. Rauscher and C. Onken, lawyers,
applicant,
v
Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM), represented by P. Geroulakos, acting as Agent,
defendant,
the other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of OHIM, intervener before the General Court, being
Textiles Well SA, established in Vigan (France), represented by E. Cornu and E. De Gryse, lawyers,
ACTION brought against the decision of the First Board of Appeal of OHIM of 15 February 2012 (Case R 2552/2010-1), relating to opposition proceedings between Textiles Well SA and Roland SE, formerly Roland-Schuhe GmbH & Co. Handels KG,
THE GENERAL COURT (Third Chamber),
composed of S. Papasavvas (Rapporteur) President, N. J. Forwood and E. Bieliūnas, Judges,
Registrar: E. Coulon,
makes the following
Order
1 By letter lodged at the Registry of the Court on 17 September 2013, the intervener informed the Court of an agreement between itself and the applicant and that, pursuant to that agreement, it was withdrawing its opposition to the application for registration of the contested mark. It also informed the Court that, under that agreement, each party was to bear its own costs.
2 By letter lodged at the Registry of the Court on 24 September 2013, the defendant informed the Court that, it raised no objections to the case being declared devoid of purpose. Further, it requested that the applicant be ordered to pay the costs.
3 By letter lodged at the Registry of the Court on 24 September 2013, the applicant confirmed the existence of an amicable settlement between itself and the intervener, including in relation to costs.
4 Pursuant to Article 113 of the Rules of Procedure of the Court, it suffices in the present case to find that, in the light of the withdrawal of the opposition, the present action has become devoid of purpose. There is therefore no longer any need to adjudicate on the action (order in Case T‑10/01 Lichtwer Pharma v OHIM – Biofarma (Sedonium) [2003] ECR II‑2225, paragraphs 16 to 18).
5 Article 87(6) of the Rules of Procedure provides that, where a case does not proceed to judgment, the costs are in the discretion of the Court.
6 In the present case, the Court considers that the applicant and the intervener must be ordered to bear their own costs and to pay those incurred by the defendant.
On those grounds,
THE GENERAL COURT (Third Chamber)
hereby orders:
1. There is no need to adjudicate on the action.
2.
3. The applicant and the intervener shall bear their own costs and shall each pay half of those incurred by the defendant.
Luxembourg, 7 October 2013.