Judgment of the General Court of 30 April 2014 — Beyond Retro v OHIM — S&K Garments (BEYOND VINTAGE)

(Case T-170/12) ¹

(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)

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicant: Beyond Retro Ltd (London, United Kingdom) (represented by: S. Malynicz, Barrister)

Defendant: Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (represented by: I. Harrington, acting as Agent)

Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of OHIM: S&K Garments, Inc. (New York, New York, United States)

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 of the judgment

The Court:

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;

Dismisses the action as to the remainder;

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.

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¹     OJ C 194, 30. 6. 2012.