EUIPO Boards of Appeal in the Light of the Principle of Fair Trial

Abstract

The EUIPO’s Boards of Appeal are called upon to decide on appeals against decisions by the bodies of ‘first instance’. However, their judicial function has always been denied. Conversely, the essay tends to place the Boards of Appeal of the EUIPO in any case within the concept of ‘court’, as defined by the ECtHR, within the framework of Article 6 ECtHR, because it assesses their independence, impartiality, and in general the guarantees required by the ‘fair trial’, until concluding that it is a paradigmatic model in the overall administration and judicial system. EUIPO Boards of Appeal, European Court of Human Rights, Court of Justice of the Eurpean Union, EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, Fair trial