51In that respect, it should be noted that the eighth recital in the preamble to the Directive states that ‘in order to reduce the total number of trade marks registered ... in the Community ... it is essential to require that registered trade marks must actually be used or, if not used, be subject to revocation’. It appears in the light of that recital that it would be contrary to the scheme of Article 12(1) of the Directive to confer too broad a scope on the concept of proper reasons for non-use of a mark. Achievement of the objective set out in that recital would be jeopardised if any obstacle, however minimal yet none the less arising independently of the will of the owner of the trade mark, were sufficient to justify its non-use.
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