Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 5 May 2015 —
Lidl Stiftung v OHIM — Horno del Espinar (Castello)

(Case T‑715/13)

Community trade mark — Opposition proceedings — Application for the figurative Community mark Castello — Earlier national figurative mark ‘Castelló’ — Relative ground for refusal — No likelihood of confusion — Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation No (EC) 207/2009 — Right to be heard — Second sentence of 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 — Criteria for assessment (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 23, 48)

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 — Assessment of the likelihood of confusion — Determination of the relevant public — Attention level of the public (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see para. 25)

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 — Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark — Figurative marks Castello and Castelló (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 26, 33, 41, 44, 45, 49)

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 — Similarity between the goods or services in question — Criteria for assessment (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 27, 29)

5.                     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 or services (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see para. 28)

6.                     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 — Composite mark (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see para. 37)

7.                     Community trade mark — Procedural provisions — Decisions of the Office — Observance of the rights of the defence — Scope of the principle (Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41(2)(a); Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 75, second sentence) (see para. 68)

8.                     Community trade mark — Appeals procedure — Action before the EU judicature — Legality of the decision of a Board of Appeal adjudicating in opposition proceedings — Claim that defence rights infringed — Procedural irregularity — Possibility of obtaining annulment of the said decision simply by demonstrating the likelihood of a different decision in the absence of that irregularity (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 75, second sentence) (see para. 81)

Re:

ACTION brought against the decision of the Second Board of Appeal of OHIM of 1 October 2013 (Case R 2338/2012‑2), concerning opposition proceedings between Horno del Espinar, SL and Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Annuls the decision of the Second Board of Appeal of the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM) of 1 October 2013 (Case R 2338/2012‑2), concerning opposition proceedings between Horno del Espinar, SL and Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG;

2. Orders OHIM to pay the costs.