23It is necessary, therefore, to determine whether, following the revocation of the earlier Community mark, the annulment of the contested decision, to the extent that it is based on that mark, is still capable of procuring an advantage for the applicant. According to settled case-law, the applicant’s interest in bringing proceedings must, in the light of the purpose of the action, exist at the stage of lodging the action, failing which it will be inadmissible. That purpose must continue, like the interest in bringing proceedings, until the final decision, failing which there will be no need to adjudicate, which presupposes that the action must be liable, if successful, to procure an advantage to the party bringing it (order of 9 February 2007 in Wilfer v OHIM, C‑301/05 P, ECR, EU:C:2007:91, paragraph 19, and judgment of 7 June 2007 in Wunenburger v Commission, C‑362/05 P, ECR, EU:C:2007:322, paragraph 42). If the applicant’s interest in bringing proceedings disappears in the course of proceedings, a decision of the Court on the merits cannot bring him any benefit (judgment in Wunenburger v Commission, EU:C:2007:322, paragraph 43). However, the lapsing of the contested decision, which occurred after the lodging of the action, does not in itself place the Court under an obligation to declare that there is no need to adjudicate for lack of purpose or for lack of interest in bringing proceedings at the date of the delivery of the judgment (judgment in Wunenburger v Commission, EU:C:2007:322, paragraph 47).
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