Judgment of the General Court (Ninth Chamber) of 30 April 2014 —

Beyond Retro v OHIM — S&K Garments (BEYOND VINTAGE)

(Case T‑170/12)

Community trade mark — Opposition proceedings — International registration designating the European Community — Word mark BEYOND VINTAGE — Earlier Community word mark BEYOND RETRO — Relative ground for refusal — Likelihood of confusion — Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 — Obligation 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 — Assessment of the likelihood of confusion — Criteria (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 21, 22, 46, 79)

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 — Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark — Word marks BEYOND VINTAGE and BEYOND RETRO (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 24, 26, 44, 81, 84)

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 between the goods or services in question — Complementary nature of the goods — Clothing, footwear and headgear within Class 25 of the Nice Agreement and jewellery, precious stones, horological and chronometric instruments within Class 14 of the Nice Agreement (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 30, 32-35, 38-41)

4.                     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 296 TFEU (Art. 296 TFEU; Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 75, first sentence) (see paras 87, 88, 92)

Re:

ACTION brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of OHIM of 30 January 2012 (Joined Cases R 493/2011-4 and R 548/2011-4), relating to opposition proceedings between Beyond Retro Ltd and S&K Garments, Inc.

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 30 January 2012 (Joined Cases R 493/2011-4 and R 548/2011-4) in so far as it concerns the goods covered by the word mark BEYOND VINTAGE in Classes 18 and 25 of the Nice Agreement concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks of 15 June 1957, as revised and amended;

2. Dismisses the action as to the remainder;

3. Orders Beyond Retro Ltd to pay one third of the costs incurred by the parties before the Court and orders OHIM to pay two thirds of those costs.