Judgment of the General Court of 27 November 2014 — Hesse and Lutter & Partner v OHIM — Porsche (Carrera)

(Case T-173/11) ¹

(Community trade mark — Opposition proceedings — Application for Community word mark Carrera — Earlier Community and national word marks CARRERA — Relative ground for refusal — Likelihood of confusion — Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 — Unfair advantage taken of the distinctive character or the repute of the earlier trade mark — Article 8(5) of Regulation No 207/2009 — Partial substitution of a party to the proceedings)

Language of the case: German

Parties

Applicants: Kurt Hesse (Nuremberg, Germany) (represented by: M. Krogmann, lawyer) and Lutter & Partner GmbH (Garching, Germany) (represented by: H. Lindner, lawyer)

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

Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of OHIM, intervener before the General Court: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (Stuttgart, Germany)

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of OHIM of 11 January 2011 (Case R 306/2010-4) concerning opposition proceedings between Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG and Mr Kurt Hesse.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

1.    Dismisses the action;

2.    Orders Mr Kurt Hesse and Lutter & Partner GmbH to bear their own costs and orders each of them to pay one half of the costs incurred by the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM) and by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.

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¹     OJ C 145, 14.5.2011.