CANCELLATION DIVISION



CANCELLATION No 33 003 C (REVOCATION)


Douglas GmbH, Luise-Rainer-Str. 7-11, 40235 Düsseldorf, Germany (applicant), represented by Harmsen Utescher, Rechtsanwalts-und Patentanwaltspartnerschaft mbB, Neuer Wall 80, 20354 Hamburg, Germany (professional representative)


a g a i n s t


Wenzhou Dazong Optical Co., LTD., Eastern Side 330 Country Road Lucheng District, Wenzhou 325000, China (EUTM proprietor), represented by Onofre Indalecio Sáez Menchón, Gran Via, 69-4° Of. 412, 28013 Madrid, Spain (professional representative).


On 07/06/2019, the Cancellation Division takes the following



DECISION


1. The application for revocation is upheld.


2. The EUTM proprietor’s rights in respect of European Union trade mark No 10 232 718 are revoked in their entirety as from 15/02/2019.


3. The EUTM proprietor bears the costs, fixed at EUR 1 080.



REASONS


The applicant filed a request for revocation of European Union trade mark No 10 232 718 (figurative mark) (the EUTM). The request is directed against all the goods covered by the EUTM, namely:



Class 9:

Scientific, nautical, surveying, photographic, cinematographic, optical, weighing, measuring, signalling, checking (supervision), life-saving and teaching apparatus and instruments; Apparatus and instruments for conducting, switching, transforming, accumulating, regulating or controlling electricity; Apparatus for recording, transmission or reproduction of sound or images; Magnetic data carriers, recording discs; Automatic vending machines and mechanisms for coin-operated apparatus; Cash registers, calculating machines, data processing equipment and computers; Fire-extinguishing apparatus.



Class 14:

Precious metals and their alloys and goods in precious metals or coated therewith, not included in other classes; Jewellery, precious stones; Horological and chronometric instruments.






Class 18:

Leather and imitations of leather, and goods made of these materials and not included in other classes; Animal skins, hides; Trunks and travelling bags; Umbrellas, parasols and walking sticks; Whips, harness and saddlery.


The applicant invoked Article 58(1)(a) EUTMR.



GROUNDS FOR THE DECISION


According to Article 58(1)(a) EUTMR, the rights of the proprietor of the European Union trade mark will be revoked on application to the Office, if, within a continuous period of five years, the trade mark has not been put to genuine use in the Union for the goods or services for which it is registered, and there are no proper reasons for non-use.


In revocation proceedings based on the grounds of non-use, the burden of proof lies with the EUTM proprietor as the applicant cannot be expected to prove a negative fact, namely that the mark has not been used during a continuous period of five years. Therefore, it is the EUTM proprietor who must prove genuine use within the European Union or submit proper reasons for non-use.


In the present case the EUTM was registered on 02/05/2013. The revocation request was submitted on 15/02/2019. Therefore, the EUTM had been registered for more than five years at the date of the filing of the request.


On 19/02/2019, the Cancellation Division duly notified the EUTM proprietor of the application for revocation and gave it a time limit of two months to submit evidence of use of the EUTM for all the goods for which it is registered.


The EUTM proprietor did not submit any observations or evidence of use in reply to the application for revocation within the specified time limit.


According to Article 19(1) EUTMDR, if the proprietor of the European Union trade mark does not submit proof of genuine use of the contested mark within the time limit set by the Office, the European Union trade mark will be revoked.


In the absence of any reply from the EUTM proprietor, there is neither any evidence that the EUTM has been genuinely used in the European Union for any of the goods for which it is registered nor any indications of proper reasons for non-use.


Pursuant to Article 62(1) EUTMR, the EUTM must be deemed not to have had, as from the date of the application for revocation, the effects specified in the EUTMR, to the extent that the proprietor’s rights have been revoked.


Consequently, the EUTM proprietor’s rights must be revoked in their entirety and deemed not to have had any effects as from 15/02/2019.





COSTS


According to Article 109(1) EUTMR, the losing party in cancellation proceedings must bear the fees and costs incurred by the other party.


Since the EUTM proprietor is the losing party, it must bear the cancellation fee as well as the costs incurred by the applicant in the course of these proceedings.


According to Article 109(1) and (7) EUTMR and Article 18(1)(c)(ii) EUTMIR, the costs to be paid to the applicant are the cancellation fee and the costs of representation, which are to be fixed on the basis of the maximum rate set therein.





The Cancellation Division




Cindy BAREL

Graziella MEDDE

Ana MUÑIZ RODRIGUEZ



According to Article 67 EUTMR, any party adversely affected by this decision has a right to appeal against this decision. According to Article 68 EUTMR, notice of appeal must be submitted in writing at the Office within two months of the date of notification of this decision. It must be submitted in the language of the proceedings in which the decision subject to appeal was taken. Furthermore, a written statement of the grounds of appeal must be submitted within four months of the same date. The notice of appeal will be deemed to be filed only when the appeal fee of EUR 720 has been paid.


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