60It follows from the case-law of the Court that, according to Article 56(1)(a) of Regulation No 207/2009 (now Article 63(1)(a) of Regulation 2007/1001), an application for a declaration of invalidity based on an absolute ground for invalidity does not require the applicant to show an interest in bringing proceedings in so far as the aim of the absolute grounds for refusal of registration is to protect the public interest underlying them. Because EUIPO’s assessment must be made exclusively in the light of the public interest underlying Article 7(1)(b) and (c) and Article 56(1)(a) of Regulation No 207/2009, the potential or actual economic interest pursued by the applicant for a declaration of invalidity is irrelevant. Consequently, there can be no question of an ‘abuse of rights’ on the part of the applicant for a declaration of invalidity. It follows that the question of the abuse of rights is irrelevant in invalidity proceedings under Article 56(1)(a) of Regulation No 207/2009 (order of 19 June 2014, Donaldson Filtration Deutschland v ultra air, C‑450/13 P, EU:C:2014:2016, paragraphs 39, 42 and 46).
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