Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 21 January 2014 — Wilmar Trading v OHIM — Agroekola (ULTRA CHOCO)

(Case T‑232/12)

Community trade mark — Opposition proceedings — Application for Community word mark ULTRA CHOCO — Earlier national word mark ultra choco — Unregistered earlier mark ULTRA CHOCO used in the course of trade in the European Union and in Bulgaria — Article 60 of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 — Failure to comply with the obligation to pay appeal fee within the time limit — Decision of the Board of Appeal declaring the appeal deemed not to have been filed

1.                     Community trade mark — Appeals procedure — Action before the EU judicature — Jurisdiction of the General Court — Review of the lawfulness of decisions of the Boards of Appeal — Account taken by the General Court of evidence not previously raised before the departments of OHIM — Exclusion (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 65) (see para. 21)

2.                     Community trade mark — Appeals procedure — Form of appeal and period within which it must be brought — Payment of the appeal fee outside the time limit (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 60; Commission Regulations No 2868/95, Art. 1, Rule 49(3), and No 2869/95, Art. 8(3)) (see paras 32-34)

Re:

ACTION brought against the decision of the First Board of Appeal of OHIM of 27 March 2012 (Case R 87/2012‑1), relating to opposition proceedings between Wilmar Trading Pte Ltd and Agroekola EOOD.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Dismisses the action;

2. Orders Wilmar Trading Pte Ltd to pay the costs.