20With regard to the first plea, which relates essentially to there being no direct connection between the goods referred to and graphene at the current stage of technology, it must be observed that, according to settled case-law, in order for OHIM to refuse registration on the basis of the ground set out in Article 7(1)(c) of Regulation No 207/2009, the signs or indications comprising the trade mark need not actually be in use at the time when registration is applied for, for the purposes of describing goods or services such as those in respect of which the application is made or of describing the characteristics of those goods or services. It is sufficient, as the wording of that provision itself indicates, that such signs and indications may be used for such purposes. A word sign must therefore be refused registration under that provision if at least one of its possible meanings designates a characteristic of the goods or services concerned (judgments in OHIM v Wrigley, cited at paragraph 18 supra, EU:C:2003:579, paragraph 32; of 21 January 2009 in Korsch v OHIM (PharmaCheck), T‑296/07, EU:T:2009:12, paragraph 43; and SLIM BELLY, cited at paragraph 16 supra, EU:T:2013:226, paragraph 36). Furthermore, it is immaterial whether the characteristics of the goods or services being described are commercially essential or secondary (see judgment in SLIM BELLY, cited at paragraph 16 supra, EU:T:2013:226, paragraph 37 and case-law cited).
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