CELEX: C2005/082/39
Language: en
Date: 2005-04-02 00:00:00
Title: Case C-59/05: Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Bundesgerichtshof (Federal Court of Justice) by order of that court of 2 December 2004 in the case of Siemens AG v VIPA Gesellschaft für Visualisierung und Prozeßautomatisierung mbH

2.4.2005   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 82/19
            
         Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Bundesgerichtshof (Federal Court of Justice) by order of that court of 2 December 2004 in the case of Siemens AG v VIPA Gesellschaft für Visualisierung und Prozeßautomatisierung mbH
   (Case C-59/05)
   (2005/C 82/39)
   Language of the case: German
   Reference has been made to the Court of Justice of the European Communities by order of the Bundesgerichtshof (Federal Court of Justice) (Germany) of 2 December 2004, received at the Court Registry on 10 February 2005, for a preliminary ruling in the proceedings between Siemens AG and VIPA Gesellschaft für Visualisierung und Prozeßautomatisierung mbH on the following questions concerning the interpretation of Article 3a(1)(g) of Council Directive 84/450/EEC of 10 September 1984 concerning misleading and comparative advertising (1), as amended by Directive 97/55/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 October 1997 (2):
   
               1.
            
            
               Is the reputation of an ‘other distinguishing mark’ within the meaning of Article 3a(1)(g) of Directive 84/450/EEC taken advantage of unfairly where an advertiser adopts in identical form the core elements of a distinguishing mark which is known in trade circles (in this case, a system of order numbers) of a competitor, and refers to those identical elements in advertising?
            
         
               2.
            
            
               In determining whether unfair advantage is taken of a reputation for the purposes of Article 3(1)(g) of Directive 84/450/EC, is the benefit to the advertiser and the consumer procured by the adoption of the identical system a relevant factor?
            
         
      (1)  OJ 1984 L 250, p. 17.
   
      (2)  OJ 1997 L 290, p. 18.