Judgment of the General Court of 18 March 2016 — Karl-May-Verlag v OHIM — Constantin Film Produktion (WINNETOU)
(Case T-501/13) 1
(Community trade mark — Invalidity proceedings — Community word mark WINNETOU — Absolute ground for refusal — Descriptive character — Article 7(1)(c) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 — Article 52(1) and (2) of Regulation No 207/2009 — Principles of autonomy and independence of the Community trade mark — Obligation to state reasons)
Language of the case: German
Parties
Applicant: Karl-May-Verlag GmbH, formerly Karl May Verwaltungs- und Vertriebs- GmbH (Bamberg, Germany) (represented by: M. Pejman and M. Brenner, lawyers)
Defendant: Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (represented initially by A. Pohlmann, and subsequently by M. Fischer, acting as Agents)
Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of OHIM, intervener before the General Court: Constantin Film Produktion GmbH (Munich, Germany) (represented by: P. Baronikians and S. Schmidt, lawyers)
Re:
Action brought against the decision of the First Board of Appeal of OHIM of 9 July 2013 (Case R 125/2012-1), concerning invalidity proceedings between Constantin Film Produktion GmbH and Karl-May Verwaltungs- und Vertriebs- GmbH.
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Annuls the decision of the First Board of Appeal of the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM) of 9 July 2013 (Case R 125/2012-1) in so far as it rejected the application for a declaration of invalidity;
Orders OHIM to bear, in addition to its own costs, the costs incurred by Karl-May-Verlag GmbH;
Orders Constantin Film Produktion GmbH to bear its own costs.
____________1 OJ C 336, 16.11.2013.