Judgment — ECLI:EU:T:2014:769
Date: 2014-09-11
Language of the case: German
Subject matter: Trade marks;Intellectual, industrial and commercial property
Procedure: Action for annulment - unfounded

summary of the pleas in law on which the application is based — Pleas in law not set out in the application — General reference to documents — Inadmissibility (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 44(1)(c)) (see para. 18) 2. Community trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the Community trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an earlier identical or similar mark registered for identical or similar goods or services — Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark — Refusal to register on a ground relating to refusal even limited to part of the Union (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see para. 23) 3. Community trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the Community trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an earlier identical or similar mark registered for identical or similar goods or services — Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark — Criteria for assessment (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1))(b)) (see paras 24, 66, 67, 71) 4. Community trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the Community trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an earlier identical or similar mark registered for identical or similar goods or services — Similarity between the goods or services in question — Criteria for assessment (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see para. 27) 5. Community trade mark — Appeals procedure — Appeal against a decision of the Opposition Division of OHIM — Examination by the Board of Appeal — Scope (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 76) (see para. 33) 6. Community trade mark — Procedural provisions — Examination of the facts of the Office’s own motion — Opposition proceedings — Examination restricted to the submissions of the parties — Examination of a legal question of the Office’s own motion — Condition (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 76(1)) (see para. 35) 7. Community trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the Community trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an earlier identical or similar mark registered for identical or similar goods or services — Similarity of the marks concerned — Criteria for assessment (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see para. 42) 8. Community trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the Community trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an earlier identical or similar mark registered for identical or similar goods or services — Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark — Coexistence of earlier marks — Recognition of an international mark as having a certain degree of distinctiveness (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Arts 7(1)(b), and 8(1)(b), and (2)(a)(iv)) (see paras 59-62, 64) 9. Community trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the Community trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an earlier identical or similar mark registered for identical or similar goods or services — Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark — Figurative marks CONTINENTAL WIND PARTNERS and Continental (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 71-74, 76) 10. Community trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the Community trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an earlier identical or similar mark registered for identical or similar goods or services — Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark — Likelihood of association — Concept serving solely to define the scope of the likelihood of confusion (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see para. 75) Re: ACTION brought against the decision of the Second Board of Appeal of OHIM of 10 January 2013 (Case R 2204/2011-2), relating to opposition proceedings between Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH and Continental Wind Partners LLC. Operative part The Court: 1. Dismisses the action; 2. Orders Continental Wind Partners LLC to pay the costs.