Judgment of the General Court (Seventh Chamber) of 13 February 2014 —
Demon International v OHIM — Big Line (DEMON)

(Case T‑380/12)

Community trade mark — Invalidity proceedings — Figurative Community trade mark DEMON — Prior international word mark DEMON — Relative ground for refusal — Likelihood of confusion — Similarity of the goods — Similarity of the signs — Article 8(1)(b) and Article 53(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) 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 — Criteria for assessment (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 27, 28, 60)

2.                     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 — Similarity between the goods or services in question — Criteria for assessment — Complementary nature of the goods or services (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 36, 37, 41)

3.                     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 — Similarity of the marks concerned — Criteria for assessment — Complex mark (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 48, 52-54)

4.                     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 — Figurative mark DEMON and word mark DEMON (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 64, 66-68)

Re:

ACTION brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of OHIM of 20 June 2012 (Case R 1845/2011-4) concerning invalidity proceedings between Demon International, LC and Big Line Sas di Graziani Lorenzo.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Annuls the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM) of 20 June 2012 (Case R 1845/2001-4) in so far as it annulled in part the decision of the Cancellation Division and rejected the application for a declaration of invalidity of the Community trade mark No 6 375 398 concerning ‘ski masks’ and ‘snowboard masks’;

2. Dismisses the remainder of the action;

3. Orders Demon International, LC and Big Line Sas di Graziani Lorenzo to bear their own costs, including those incurred before the Board of Appeal;

4. Orders OHIM to bear its own costs.