Judgment of the Court (Sixth Chamber) of 29 April 2004 in Joined Cases C-468/01 P to C-472/01 P: Procter & Gamble Company v Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM) (Appeal — Community trade mark — Article 7(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 40/94 — Three-dimensional tablets for washing machines or dishwashers — Absolute ground for refusal to register — Distinctive character)
Date: 2004-04-30
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: EU trade mark, European Union Intellectual Property Office, General Court (EU), appeal, household electrical appliance, polishing and scouring preparations

30.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 118/15

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT

(Sixth Chamber)

of 29 April 2004

(Sixth Chamber)

of 29 April 2004

in Joined Case C-456/01 P and C-457/01P: Henkel KGaA v
Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade
Marks and Designs) (OHIM) (1)

(Appeal — Community trade mark — Article 7(1)(b) of
Regulation (EC) No 40/94 — Three-dimensional tablets for
washing machines or dishwashers — Absolute ground for
refusal to register — Distinctive character)

in Joined Cases C-468/01 P to C-472/01 P: Procter &
Gamble Company v Office for Harmonisation in the
Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM) (1)

(Appeal — Community trade mark — Article 7(1)(b) of
Regulation (EC) No 40/94 — Three-dimensional tablets for
washing machines or dishwashers — Absolute ground for
refusal to register — Distinctive character)

(2004/C 118/27)

(2004/C 118/26)

(Language of the case: English)

(Language of the case: German)

(Provisional translation; the definitive translation will be published in
the European Court Reports)

(Provisional translation; the definitive translation will be published in
the European Court Reports)

In Joined Cases C-456/01 P and C-457/01 P: two appeals by
Henkel KGaA, established in Düsseldorf (Germany), (Lawyer: C.
the judgments of the Court of First
Osterrieth ) – against
Instance of the European Communities (Second Chamber) of
19 September 2001 in Case T-335/99 Henkel v OHIM (rectan-
gular tablet, red and white) [2001] ECR II-2581 and Case T-
336/99 Henkel v OHIM (rectangular tablet, green and white)
[2001] ECR II-2589, seeking to have those judgments set aside,
the other party to the proceedings being: Office for Harmonisa-
tion in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM)
(Agents: D. Schennen and S. Laitinen ) Ä the Court (Sixth
Chamber), composed of: V. Skouris, acting as the President of
the Sixth Chamber, J.N. Cunha Rodrigues, J.-P. Puissochet, R.
Schintgen and F. Macken (Rapporteur), Judges; D. Ruiz-Jarabo
Colomer, Advocate General; M. Múgica Arzamendi, Principal
Administrator, for the Registrar, has given a judgment on 29
April 2004, in which it:

Instance of

the Court of First

In Joined Cases C-468/01 P to C-472/01 P: five appeals by
Procter & Gamble Company, established in Cincinnati (United
States) (Lawyers: C. van Nispen and G. Kuipers ) v against the
the European
judgments of
Communities (Second Chamber) of 19 September 2001 in Case
T-117/00 Procter & Gamble v OHIM (Square tablet, white and
pale green) [2001] ECR II-2723, Case T-118/00 Procter &
Gamble v OHIM (Square tablet, white with green speckles and
pale green) [2001] ECR II-2731, Case T-119/00 Procter &
Gamble v OHIM (Square tablet, white with yellow and blue
speckles)
[2001] ECR II-2761, Case T-120/00 Procter &
Gamble v OHIM (Square tablet, white with blue speckles)
[2001] ECR II-2769, and Case T-121/00 Procter & Gamble v
OHIM (Square tablet, white with green and blue speckles)
[2001] ECR II-2777, seeking to have those judgments set aside,
the other party to the proceedings being: Office for Harmonisa-
tion in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM)
(Agents: D. Schennen and C. Røhl Søberg) - the Court (Sixth
Chamber), composed of: V. Skouris, acting as the President of
the Sixth Chamber, J.N. Cunha Rodrigues, J.-P. Puissochet, R.
Schintgen and F. Macken (Rapporteur), Judges; D. Ruiz-Jarabo
Colomer, Advocate General; M. Múgica Arzamendi, Principal
Administrator, for the Registrar, has given a judgment on 29
April 2004, in which it:

1. Dismisses the appeals;

1. Dismisses the appeals;

2. Orders Henkel KGaA to pay the costs

2. Orders Procter & Gamble Company to pay the costs

(1) OJ C 84 of 6.4.2002

(1) OJ C 68 of 16.3.2002