Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 18 May 2011 – Habanos v OHIM – Tabacos de Centroamérica (KIOWA)
(Case T-207/08)
Community trade mark – Opposition proceedings – Application for Community figurative mark KIOWA – Earlier Community and national figurative marks COHIBA – Relative ground for refusal – No likelihood of confusion – No similarity of signs – Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 40/94 (now Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009)
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 (Council Regulation No 40/94, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 29, 63-64)
Re:
| ACTION brought against the decision of the Second Board of Appeal of OHIM of 31 March 2008 (Case R 1189/2007-2) relating to opposition proceedings between Corporación Habanos, SA and Tabacos de Centroamérica, SL. |
Information relating to the case
Applicant for the Community trade mark: | Tabacos de Centroamérica, SL |
Community trade mark sought: | Figurative mark KIOWA in respect of goods in Class 34 – Application No 3963931 |
Proprietor of the mark or sign cited in the opposition proceedings: | Corporación Habanos, SA |
Mark or sign cited in opposition: | Figurative mark COHIBA (Community mark No 3323292), word mark COHIBA (Spanish mark No 1271173) and the figurative mark COHIBA (Spanish mark No 2052344) in respect of products in Class 34 |
Decision of the Opposition Division: | Opposition dismissed |
Decision of the Board of Appeal: | Appeal dismissed |
Operative part
The Court:
2. | | Orders Corporación Habanos, SA to bear its own costs and pay those of the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM); |
3. | | Orders Tabacos de Centroamérica, SL to bear its own costs. |