Case T-48/07: Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 16 September 2008 — ratiopharm v OHIM (BioGeneriX) (Community trade mark — Application for Community word mark BioGeneriX — Absolute ground for refusal — Partially descriptive character — Article 7(1)(b) and (c) of Regulation (EC) No 40/94)
Date: 2008-09-16
Institutions: Court of First Instance
Subjects: EU trade mark, European Union Intellectual Property Office, action for annulment (EU), chemical product, pharmaceutical product, trade-mark law

C 285/38

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

8.11.2008

Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 17 September
2008 — FVB v OHIM

Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 16 September
2008 — ratiopharm v OHIM (BioGeneriX)

(Case T-10/07) (1)

(Community trade mark — Opposition proceedings — Appli-
cation for Community word mark FVB — Earlier national
word mark FVD — Relative grounds for refusal — Likelihood
of confusion — Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 40/94)

(Case T-47/07) (1)

(Community trade mark — Application for Community word
mark BioGeneriX — Absolute grounds for refusal — Descrip-
tive character — Article 7(1)(c) of Regulation (EC) No 40/94)

(2008/C 285/69)

Language of the case: German

(2008/C 285/68)

Language of the case: German

Parties

Applicant: ratiopharm GmbH (Ulm, Germany) (represented first
by Rechtsanwalt S. Völker, and then by S. Völker and A.
Schabenberger, lawyers)

Defendant: Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market
(Trade Marks and Designs) (represented by: G. Schneider, acting
as Agent)

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of
Appeal of OHIM of 20 December 2006 (Case R 1047/2004-4)
concerning an application for registration of the word mark
BioGenerix as a Community trade mark

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

1. Dismisses the action.

2. Orders ratiopharm GmbH to pay the costs.

(1) OJ C 82, 14.4.2007.

Parties

Applicant: FVB Gesellschaft für Finanz- und Versorgungsberatung
mbH (Osnabrück, Germany) (represented by: P. Koehler, lawyer)

Defendant: Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market
(Trade Marks and Designs) (represented by: B. Schmidt, acting as
Agent)

Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of OHIM
intervening before the Court of First Instance: FVD Gesellschaft für
Finanzplanung und Vermögensberatung Deutschland mbH,
formerly FVD Gesellschaft für Finanzplanung und Vorsorgeman-
agement Deutschland mbH (Hamburg, Germany) (represented:
first by J. Mattes and P. Heigl, lawyers)

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of
Appeal of OHIM of 6 November 2006 (Case R 1343/2005-4),
relating to opposition proceedings between FVD Gesellschaft für
Finanzplanung und Vorsorgemanagement Deutschland mbH
and FVB Gesellschaft
für Finanz- und Versorgungsberatung
mbH.

Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 16 September
2008 — ratiopharm v OHIM (BioGeneriX)

Operative part of the judgment

(Case T-48/07) (1)

The Court:

1. Dismisses the action;

2. Orders FVB Gesellschaft
mbH to pay the costs.

für Finanz- und Versorgungsberatung

(Community trade mark — Application for Community word
mark BioGeneriX — Absolute ground for refusal — Partially
descriptive character — Article 7(1)(b) and (c) of Regulation
(EC) No 40/94)

(2008/C 285/70)

Language of the case: German

(1) OJ C 56, 10.3.2007.

Parties

Applicant: ratiopharm GmbH (Ulm, Germany) (represented initi-
ally by S. Völker, then by S. Völker and A. Schabenberger,
lawyers)

8.11.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 285/39

Defendant: Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market
(Trade Marks and Designs) (represented by: G. Schneider, Agent)

Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of OHIM:
Aprile e Aprile Srl (Argelato, Italy)

Re:

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of
Appeal of OHIM of 20 December 2006 (Case R 1048/2004-4)
concerning an application for registration of the word mark
BioGeneriX as a Community trade mark.

Action brought against the decision of the Second Board of
Appeal of OHIM of 22 March 2007 (Case R-1076/2006-2),
relating to opposition proceedings between Anvil Knitwear, Inc.
and Aprile e Aprile Srl.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court hereby:

1. Annuls the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of the Office
for Harmonisation in the Internal Market
(Trade Marks and
Designs) (OHIM) of 20 December 2006 (Case R 1048/2004-
4), in so far as chemical substances for preserving foodstuffs, falling
within Class 1, are concerned;

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

1. Dismisses the action;

2. Orders Anvil Knitwear, Inc. to pay the costs.

2. Dismisses the action as to the remainder;

(1) OJ C 170, 21.7.2007.

3. Orders ratiopharm GmbH to bear its own costs and to pay half of

OHIM's costs. OHIM will bear the other half of its costs.

(1) OJ C 82, 14.4.2007.

Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 17 September
2008 — Prana Haus v OHIM

(Case T-226/07) (1)

Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 24 September
2008 — Anvil Knitwear v OHIM — Aprile e Aprile
(Aprile)

(Community trade mark — Application for registration of the
word mark PRANAHAUS — Absolute ground for refusal —
Descriptive character — Article 7(1)(c) of Regulation (EC)
No 40/94)

(Case T-179/07) (1)

(Community trade mark — Opposition proceedings — Appli-
cation for the Community figurative mark Aprile — Earlier
national word mark ANVIL — Relative ground for refusal —
Lack of likelihood of confusion — Obligation to state reasons
— Rights of the defence — Articles 8(1)(b), 73 and 74 of
Regulation (EC) No 40/94)

Parties

(2008/C 285/72)

Language of the case: German

(2008/C 285/71)

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicant: Prana Haus GmbH (Fribourg-en-Brisgau, Germany)
(represented by: N. Hebies, lawyer)

Defendant: Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market
(Trade Marks and Designs)
J. Weberndörfer,
acting as Agent)

(represented by:

Applicant: Anvil Knitwear, Inc. (New York, New York, United
States)
(represented by: G. Würtenberger, R. Kunze and T.
Wittmann, lawyers)

Re:

Defendant: Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market
(Trade Marks and Designs) (represented by: S. Laitinen and O.
Mondéjar Ortuño, acting as Agents)

Action brought against the decision of the First Board of Appeal
of OHIM of 18 April 2007 (Case R 1611/2006-1) concerning
an application for registration of the verbal mark PRANAHAUS
as a Community trade mark.