法律决定

14.01.2021: New Federal Court of Justice (BGH) case law on the revocation of a trademark

The case-law according to which, in the case of an action for revocation of a trademark, the period between the date on which the action was brought and the date of the hearing on the facts must be taken into account when determining whether the trademark has not been used for a continuous period of five years is no longer upheld.

In the case of an action for revocation of a trade mark, the time to be taken into account in order to determine whether the continuous period of five years has expired is, in principle, the time when the action was brought and, therefore, the date of service of the action.

The case law according to which the burden of proof for the conditions of revocation of a trade mark lies with the party bringing the action is no longer adhered to.

The proprietor of the disputed trademark, which is the subject of an action for revocation, bears in principle the burden of showing and proving genuine use of that trademark.

Practical tip:

This departure from the "German way" had become necessary due to an interpretation of the Trademark Act in conformity with Union law.

This leads in particular to the fact that the question of use has to be clarified at the time of the action and by providing evidence on the part of the trademark owner. Intensive preliminary searches on the part of the plaintiff with regard to the use of the trademark proprietor are now no longer necessary.