Judgment of the General Court of 24 November 2015 — Wesergold Getränke v OHIM Lidl Stiftung — (WESTERN GOLD)

(Case T-278/10 RENV) ¹

(Community trade mark — Opposition proceedings — Application for Community word mark WESTERN GOLD — Earlier national, Community and international word marks WeserGold, Wesergold and WESERGOLD — Relative ground for refusal — Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 — Decision on the appeal — Article 64(1) of Regulation No 207/2009 — Obligation to state reasons — Right to be heard — Article 75 of Regulation No 207/2009)

Language of the case: German

Parties

Applicant: riha WeserGold Getränke GmbH & Co. KG, formerly Wesergold Getränkeindustrie GmbH & Co. KG (Rinteln, Germany) (represented by: T. Melchert, P. Goldenbaum and I. Rohr, lawyers)

Defendant: Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (represented initially by A. Pohlmann, and subsequently by S. Hanne, acting as Agents)

Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of OHIM, intervener before the General Court: Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG (Neckarsulm, Germany) (represented by: A. Marx and M. Wolter, lawyers)

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the First Board of Appeal of OHIM of 24 March 2010 (Case R 770/2009-1) relating to opposition proceedings between Wesergold Getränkeindustrie GmbH & Co. KG and Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

1.    Dismisses the action;

2.    Orders riha WeserGold Getränke GmbH & Co. KG to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM) and by Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG in the proceedings before the General Court and the Court of Justice.

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¹     OJ C 221, 14.8.2010.