Judgment of the General Court (First Chamber) of 30 September 2015 —
Volkswagen v OHIM (ULTIMATE)
(Case T‑385/14)
Community trade mark — Application for Community word ULTIMATE — Absolute ground for refusal — Absence of distinctive character — Article 7(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009
1.                     Community trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the Community trade mark — Absolute grounds for refusal — Marks devoid of any distinctive character — Concept — Criteria for assessment (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 7(1)(b)) (see paras 9-12)
2.                     Community trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the Community trade mark — Absolute grounds for refusal — Marks devoid of any distinctive character — Word mark ULTIMATE (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 7(1)(b)) (see paras 13, 19, 22)
3.                     Community trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the Community trade mark — Absolute grounds for refusal — Marks devoid of any distinctive character — Marks constituted of advertising slogans — Flattering promotional formula (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 7(1)(b)) (see para. 18)
Re:
ACTION brought against the decision of the First Board of Appeal of OHIM of 24 March 2014 (Case R 1787/2013-1), concerning an application for registration of the word sign ULTIMATE as a Community trade mark.
Operative part
The Court:
1.
Dismisses the action;
2.
Orders Volkswagen AG to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM).