Judgment of the General Court (Eighth Chamber) of 24 February 2016

The Coca-Cola Company v Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM)

Community trade mark — Application for three-dimensional Community trade mark — Shape of a contour bottle without fluting — Absolute ground for refusal — No distinctive character — Article 7(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 — No distinctive character acquired through use — Article 7(3) of Regulation No 207/2009

Case T-411/14


Top of the page Documents in the Case
Document Date Name of the parties Subject-matter Curia EUR-Lex Autres Liens
Judgment (OJ)
18/03/2016 Coca-Cola v OHIM (Forme d'une bouteille à contours sans cannelures)
Judgment
ECLI:EU:T:2016:94
24/02/2016 Coca-Cola v OHIM (Forme d'une bouteille à contours sans cannelures)
Judgment (Summary)
ECLI:EU:T:2016:94
24/02/2016 Coca-Cola v OHIM (Forme d'une bouteille à contours sans cannelures)
Application (OJ)
01/08/2014 Coca-Cola v OHIM (Forme d'une bouteille à contours sans cannelures)
Top of the page Legal analysis of the decision or of the case

Reports of Cases

published in the electronic Reports of Cases (Court Reports - general)

Subject-matter

Information not available

Systematic classification scheme

1.
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.11 Approximation of laws
    4.11.03 European Union trade mark
      4.11.03.01 Absolute grounds for refusal
        4.11.03.01.02 Marks devoid of any distinctive character
          4.11.03.01.02.03 Other marks
            4.11.03.01.02.03.03
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.11 Approximation of laws
    4.11.03 European Union trade mark
      4.11.03.01 Absolute grounds for refusal
        4.11.03.01.13 Signs examined
          4.11.03.01.13.02 Marks devoid of any distinctive character
            4.11.03.01.13.02.03 Three-dimensional marks
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.11 Approximation of laws
    4.11.03 European Union trade mark
      4.11.03.01 Absolute grounds for refusal
        4.11.03.01.12 Acquisition of distinctive character through use
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.11 Approximation of laws
    4.11.03 European Union trade mark
      4.11.03.01 Absolute grounds for refusal
        4.11.03.01.12 Acquisition of distinctive character through use
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.11 Approximation of laws
    4.11.03 European Union trade mark
      4.11.03.01 Absolute grounds for refusal
        4.11.03.01.13 Signs examined
          4.11.03.01.13.12 Acquisition of distinctive character through use
            4.11.03.01.13.12.03 Three-dimensional marks


Citations of case-law or legislation

References in grounds of judgment

Operative part

Information not available

Opinion

Information not available


Dates

Date of the lodging of the application initiating proceedings

  • 10/06/2014

Date of the Opinion

Information not available

Date of the hearing

Information not available

Date of delivery

24/02/2016


References

Publication in the Official Journal

Judgment: OJ C 118 from 04.04.2016, p.26

Application: OJ C 282 from 25.08.2014, p.39

Name of the parties

Coca-Cola v OHIM (Forme d'une bouteille à contours sans cannelures)

Notes on Academic Writings

  1. Rauscher, Oliver: EuG: Kein Markenschutz für ungeriffelte Coca-Cola-Konturflasche, Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht PRAX 2016 Heft 5 p.100 (DE)
  2. Ruess, Peter: EuG: Kein Markenschutz für nicht geriffelte Coca-Cola-Flasche, Betriebs-Berater 2016 p.656 (DE)
  3. Mouron, Philippe: Pas de distinctivité pour la bouteille de Coca-Cola sans cannelures comme marque 3D, Droit de l'immatériel : informatique, médias, communication 2016 Juin nº 127 p.8-13 (FR)
  4. Roset, Sébastien: Adidas et Coca Cola : appréciation casuistique du critère distinctif entre marques concurrentes, Europe 2016 Avril Comm. nº 4 p.34 (FR)



Procedural Analysis Information

Source of the question referred for a preliminary ruling

Information not available

Subject-matter

  • Intellectual, industrial and commercial property
  • - Trade marks

Provisions of national law referred to

Information not available

Provisions of international law referred to

Information not available

Procedure and result

  • Actions for annulment : dismissal on substantive grounds

Formation of the Court

huitième chambre (Tribunal)

Judge-Rapporteur

Wetter

Advocate General

Information not available

Language(s) of the Case

  • English

Language(s) of the Opinion

    Information not available