Judgment of the General Court (Eighth Chamber) of 27 February 2014 —
Advance Magazine Publishers v OHIM — López Cabré (VOGUE)

(Case T‑229/12)

Community trade mark — Opposition proceedings — Application for Community figurative mark VOGUE — Earlier Community word mark VOGUE — Likelihood of confusion — Identity or similarity of the goods — Identity or similarity of the signs — Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 — Vagueness of the trade mark application — Article 26(1)(c) of Regulation No 207/2009 — Rule 2(2) of Regulation (EC) No 2868/95 — Partial refusal to register

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 25, 26)

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

3.                     Community trade mark — Lodging of the application for a Community trade mark — Identification of the goods or services concerned by the trade mark — Requirements of clarity and precision — Determination, by the competent authorities and the economic operators, of the extent of the protection conferred by the trade mark (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 26(1)(c); Commission Regulation No 2868/95, Art. 1, Rule 2(2)) (see paras 34-37)

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 — Likelihood of confusion with the earlier mark — Figurative mark VOGUE and word mark VOGUE (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 50-54)

5.                     Community trade mark — Appeals procedure — Action before the EU judicature — Jurisdiction of the General Court — Review of the lawfulness of decisions of the Boards of Appeal (Council Regulation No 207/2009, Art. 65) (see para. 55)

Re:

ACTION brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of OHIM of 26 March 2012 (Case R 1170/2011-4), concerning opposition proceedings between Mr Eduardo López Cabré and Advance Magazine Publishers, Inc.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Annuls the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of OHIM of 26 March 2012 (Case R 1170/2011-4), concerning opposition proceedings between Mr Eduardo López Cabré and Advance Magazine Publishers, Inc., in so far as it confirmed the Opposition Division’s decision of 18 March 2011 upholding the opposition for accessories in Class 18 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 remainder of the claim for annulment of the decision referred to at paragraph 1 of the operative part;

3. Declares that there is no need to adjudicate on the claim for the opposition to be upheld solely in relation to umbrellas, parasols and accessories for umbrellas and parasols;

4. Orders each party to bear its own costs.