Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Fifth Chamber) of 23 May 2019 — Dentsply De Trey v EUIPO — IDS (AQUAPRINT)

(Case T‑312/18)

(EU trade mark — Opposition proceedings — Application for EU word mark AQUAPRINT — Earlier national word marks AQUACEM and national unregistered marks AQUACEM and AQUASIL — Relative grounds for refusal — No likelihood of confusion — Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 — Use in the course of trade of a sign of more than mere local significance — Article 8(4) of Regulation 2017/1001 — Action for passing off — No misrepresentation)

| 1. | EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU 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  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 22, 84, 88) |

| 2. | EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU 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 — Composite mark  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 26-28) |

| 3. | EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU 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 — Assessment of the distinctiveness of an element of which a trade mark is composed  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see para. 37) |

| 4. | EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU 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 — Word mark AQUAPRINT — Word marks AQUACEM  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(1)(b))  (see paras 89-95) |

| 5. | EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an unregistered trade mark or other sign used in the course of trade — Conditions — Interpretation in the light of EU law — Assessment by reference to the criteria determined by the national law governing the sign relied on  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Arts 8(4) and 95(1))  (see paras 98-100) |

| 6. | National law — Reference to national law — United Kingdom law — Action for passing off  (see para. 102) |

| 7. | EU trade mark — Definition and acquisition of the EU trade mark — Relative grounds for refusal — Opposition by the proprietor of an unregistered trade mark or other sign used in the course of trade — Word mark AQUAPRINT — Unregistered marks AQUACEM and AQUASIL  (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2017/1001, Art. 8(4))  (see paras 108-113) |

Re

Action brought against the decision of the Second Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 26 February 2018 (Case R 1438/2017-2), relating to opposition proceedings between Dentsply De Trey and IDS.

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the action; |

| 2. | Orders Dentsply De Trey GmbH to pay the costs. |

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