Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 25 November 2014 —
Royalton Overseas v OHIM — S.C. Romarose Invest (KAISERHOFF)

(Case T‑556/12)

Community trade mark — Opposition proceedings — Application for Community figurative mark KAISERHOFF — Earlier national word mark KAISERHOFF — Suspension of the administrative proceedings — Rules 20 and 50 of Regulation (EC) No 2868/95 — ‘Examination of the facts by the Office of its own motion’ — Article 76(1) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009

1.                     Community trade mark — Appeals procedure — Action before the EU judicature — Jurisdiction of the General Court — Re-evaluation of the facts in the light of evidence produced for the first time before it — Exclusion (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 65) (see para. 19)

2.                     Community trade mark — Procedural provisions — Examination of the facts of the Office’s own motion — Duty of diligence (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 76(1)) (see para. 27)

3.                     Community trade mark — Appeals procedure — Appeal to a Board of Appeal — Stay of proceedings — Conditions (Commission Regulation No 2868/95, Art. 1, Rule 20(7)(c)) (see paras 30, 31, 33)

4.                     Community trade mark — Observations of third parties and opposition — Examination of the opposition — Stay of proceedings — Action for suspension based on an action for invalidity brought against the previous trade mark — Dismissal of the application by reason of the introduction of the said action during the opposition procedure — Inadmissibility (Commission Regulation No 2868/95, Art. 1, Rules 20(7)(c)) (see paras 38-42)

Re:

ACTION brought against the decision of the First Board of Appeal of OHIM of 4 October 2012 (Case R 2535/2011‑1) concerning opposition proceedings between S.C. Romarose Invest Srl and Royalton Overseas Ltd.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Annuls the decision of the First Board of Appeal of the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM) of 4 October 2012 (Case R 2535/2011‑1) concerning opposition proceedings between S.C. Romarose Invest Srl and Royalton Overseas Ltd;

2. Orders OHIM to bear its own costs and to pay half of the costs incurred by Royalton Overseas, including those necessarily incurred by Royalton Overseas for the purposes of the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of OHIM;

3. Orders S.C. Romarose Invest to bear its own costs and to pay half of the costs incurred by Royalton Overseas, including those necessarily incurred by Royalton Overseas for the purposes of the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of OHIM.