Corte di giustizia UE n. 1519/2017

[OSCURATO:PERSONA] ([OSCURATO:PERSONA]) 14 December 2017 ( * ) (Taxation of costs) [OSCURATO:PERSONA] C‑309/15 P‑[OSCURATO:PERSONA] for taxation of recoverable costs under Article 145 of the Rules of Procedure of the [OSCURATO:PERSONA] of Justice, brought on 2 August 2017, MIP [OSCURATO:PERSONA] GmbH & Co. KG, established in Düsseldorf (Germany), represented by J.-C. Plate, Rechtsanwalt, applicant, v [OSCURATO:SOCIETA], established in Bucharest (Romania), represented by C. Anitoae, avocată, defendant, [OSCURATO:PERSONA] ([OSCURATO:PERSONA]), composed of C. [OSCURATO:PERSONA], [OSCURATO:PERSONA] of the [OSCURATO:PERSONA], E. Juhász (Rapporteur) and K. Jürimäe, Judges, [OSCURATO:PERSONA]: M. [OSCURATO:PERSONA], [OSCURATO:PERSONA]: A. [OSCURATO:PERSONA], after hearing the [OSCURATO:PERSONA], makes the following [OSCURATO:PERSONA] 1 The present case concerns the taxation of costs incurred by MIP [OSCURATO:PERSONA] GmbH & Co. KG (‘MIP’) in [OSCURATO:PERSONA] C‑309/15 P. 2 By its appeal brought on 18 June 2015, under Article 56 of the Statute of the [OSCURATO:PERSONA] of Justice of the [OSCURATO:PERSONA], [OSCURATO:SOCIETA] sought to have set aside the order of the [OSCURATO:PERSONA] of the [OSCURATO:PERSONA] of 21 April 2015, [OSCURATO:SOCIETA] v OHIM — MIP [OSCURATO:PERSONA] (real) (T‑580/13, not published, EU:T:2015:245), by which the [OSCURATO:PERSONA] dismissed the action brought against the decision of the [OSCURATO:PERSONA] of Appeal of the [OSCURATO:PERSONA] (EUIPO) of 16 September 2013 ([OSCURATO:PERSONA] R 1519/2012-4) relating to opposition proceedings between [OSCURATO:SOCIETA] and MIP. 3 By order of 8 September 2016, [OSCURATO:SOCIETA] v EUIPO (C‑309/15 P, not published, EU:C:2016:671), the [OSCURATO:PERSONA] dismissed that appeal and ordered [OSCURATO:SOCIETA] to pay MIP’s costs. 4 As no agreement was reached between [OSCURATO:SOCIETA] and MIP on the amount of recoverable costs relating to those proceedings, MIP filed the present application. Arguments of the parties 5 MIP states that it asked [OSCURATO:SOCIETA], unsuccessfully, to pay the costs of the appeal proceedings. 6 It therefore asks the [OSCURATO:PERSONA] to set the amount of recoverable costs at EUR 2 749.32 and to provide it with an authenticated copy of the order which it seeks to have adopted for the purposes of enforcement. 7 According to MIP, the time spent on the examination of [OSCURATO:PERSONA] appeal exceeded the time which would normally have been spent on it on account of the confusing nature of the arguments put forward in that appeal. This required its lawyer to devote more than nine hours to the analysis of the file, billed in a total amount of EUR 2 709.32, to which postal and communication expenses had to be added, amounting to EUR 40. 8 [OSCURATO:SOCIETA] did not submit any comments. Findings of the [OSCURATO:PERSONA] 9 It should be recalled that according to Article 144(b) of the Rules of Procedure of the [OSCURATO:PERSONA], applicable to appeal proceedings pursuant to Article 184(1) of those rules, ‘expenses necessarily incurred by the parties for the purpose of the proceedings, in particular ... the remuneration of ... lawyers’ are to be regarded as recoverable costs. 10 In the absence of provisions of EU law laying down fee scales, the [OSCURATO:PERSONA] must make an unfettered assessment of the facts of the case, taking into account the purpose and nature of the proceedings, their significance from the point of view of EU law, the difficulties presented by the case, the amount of work generated by the case for the agents or counsel involved and the economic interests which the parties had in the proceedings (order of 30 January 2014, [OSCURATO:PERSONA] v Commission and Lagardère , C‑553/10 P‑DEP, EU:C:2014:56, paragraph 24 and the case-law cited). 11 In light of the foregoing, the total amount of costs claimed by MIP must be regarded as justified. 12 It is therefore appropriate to set the amount of recoverable costs at EUR 2 749.32. On those grounds, the [OSCURATO:PERSONA] ([OSCURATO:PERSONA]) hereby orders: The total amount of recoverable costs that [OSCURATO:SOCIETA] must pay MIP [OSCURATO:PERSONA] GmbH & Co. KG in [OSCURATO:PERSONA] C ‑ 309/15 P is set at EUR 2 749.32. Luxembourg, 14 December 2017. A. [OSCURATO:PERSONA] C. [OSCURATO:PERSONA] of the [OSCURATO:PERSONA] * Language of the case: English.