CELEX: 62009TJ0358
Language: en
Date: 2011-04-13 00:00:00
Title: Judgment of the General Court (Seventh Chamber) of 13 April 2011. # Sociedad Agricola Requingua Ltda v Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM). # Community trade mark - Opposition proceedings - Application for Community word mark TORO DE PIEDRA - Earlier Community figurative mark D. ORIGEN TORO - Relative ground for refusal - Likelihood of confusion - Similarity of the signs - Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 - Right to be heard - Obligation to state the reasons on which a decision is based - Article 75 of Regulation No 207/2009. # Case T-358/09.

Judgment of the General Court (Seventh Chamber) of 13 April 2011 – Sociedad Agricola Requingua v OHIM – Consejo Regulador
            de la Denominación de Origen Toro (TORO DE PIEDRA)
      (Case T-358/09)
      Community trade mark – Opposition proceedings – Application for Community word mark TORO DE PIEDRA – Earlier Community figurative mark D. ORIGEN TORO – Relative ground for refusal – Likelihood of confusion – Similarity of the signs – Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 – Right to be heard – Duty to state reasons – Article 75 of Regulation No 207/2009
      1.                     Community trade mark – Definition and acquisition of the Community 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 (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 27, 29, 40, 42)
      2.                     Community trade mark – Procedural provisions – Decisions of the Office – Observance of  the rights of the defence – Scope
            of the principle (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 75) (see paras 51-52)
      3.                     Community trade mark – Procedural provisions – Statement of reasons for decisions – Article 75, first sentence, of Regulation
            No 207/2009 – Scope identical to that of Article 253 EC (Art. 253 EC; Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 75, first sentence)
            (see para. 57)
      Re:
      
         
               ACTION brought against the decision of the Second Board of Appeal of OHIM of 18 June 2009 (Case R 1117/2008-2) concerning
                  opposition proceedings between Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Toro and Sociedad Agricola Requingua Ltda.
               
            Information relating to the case 
      
               Applicant for the Community trade mark: 
            
            
               Sociedad Agricola Requingua Ltda
            
         
               Community trade mark sought: 
            
            
               Word mark TORO DE PIEDRA for goods in Class 33 – Application No 4000501
            
         
               Proprietor of the mark or sign cited in the opposition proceedings: 
            
            
               Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Toro
            
         
               Mark or sign cited in opposition: 
            
            
               Community trade mark registration of the figurative mark D. ORIGEN TORO for goods in Class 33; Spanish trade mark registration
                  of the figurative mark Denominación de Origen TORO for goods in Class 33
               
            
         
               Decision of the Opposition Division: 
            
            
               Opposition upheld 
            
         
               Decision of the Board of Appeal: 
            
            
               Appeal dismissed 
            
         
      Operative part 
      The Court:
      
         
                  1.
               
               
                  
               
               
                  	Dismisses the action;
               
            
         
                  2.
               
               
                  
               
               
                  	Orders Sociedad Agricola Requingua Ltda to pay the costs.