Community trade mark - Opposition proceedings - Calculation of the time-limit for submitting a pleading setting out the grounds of the action before the Board of Appeal - Rule 70 of Regulation (EC) No 2868/95 - Previous practice of OHIM - Concept of excusable error.

Judgment of the General Court (Fifth Chamber) of 17 March 2011 – Jiménez Sarmiento v OHIM – Oxygène sport international (Q) (Case T-455/09) Community trade mark – Opposition proceedings – Calculation of the time-limit for submitting a pleading setting out the grounds of the action before the Board of Appeal – Rule 70 of Regulation (EC) No 2868/95 – Previous practice of OHIM – Concept of excusable error Community trade mark – Procedural provisions – Time-limits – Calculation of time-limits (Commission Regulation No 2868/95, Art. 1, Rule 70(2) and (4)) (see paras 29-31) Re: ACTION for annulment brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM) of 4 September 2009 (Case R 312/2009-4) rejecting the appeal of Mr Vicente J. Jiménez Sarmiento as inadmissible in the opposition proceedings between the latter and Messrs Michel Robin, D. Falzone and M. Monseur. Information relating to the case Applicants for the Community trade mark: Messrs Michel Robin, Daniel Falzone et Maxime Monseur Community trade mark sought: Figurative mark consisting of the letter Q angled and with the lower part in bold for goods in Classes 18, 25 and 28 – Registration No 4804266 Proprietor of the mark or sign cited in the opposition proceedings: Vicente J. Jiménez Sarmiento Mark or sign cited in opposition: Spanish figurative mark containing the word element quadrata (No 1770312) for goods in Class 25 Decision of the Opposition Division: Opposition dismissed as inadmissible Decision of the Board of Appeal: Appeal dismissed as inadmissible Operative part The Court: 1. Dismisses the action; 2. Orders Vicente J. Jiménez Sarmiento to bear his own costs and to pay those incurred by the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM); 3. Orders Oxygène sport international to bear its own costs.