office for harmonization in the internal market (trade marks and designs) boards of appeal 2006 –...
TRANSCRIPT
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
WWW.OAMI.EUROPA.EU
Boards of Appeal 2006 – examples of case law
Alexandra Poch – HoS, DASS, Boards of Appeal (OHIM)
Liaison Meeting – Alicante, 15 June 2007
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
2
The Boards of Appeal
Paul Maier
President of the Boards of
Appeal
T. Margell
os1st BoA (CTM)
T. de las
Heras2nd BoA (CTM)
T. Margell
os3rd BoA (RCD)
E. Gastinel
Senior Register
A. PochDocumentation & Support
Service
A. Bender
C. Ruscon
iP. von Kapff
M. Bra
G. Humph
reysD. Keelin
g
D. Keelin
gI.
Mayer
D. Schen
nen4th BoA (CTM)
U. Wennemark
H. Salmi
C. Rusco
ni
F. López
de RegoI. Mayer
W. Peeter
s
Paul Maier
Grand Board (CTM & RCD)
Presidium
7 Members• President of the Boards•3 chairpersons•3 elected members
3 chairpersons5 rotating members
S. Bonn
eAssistant
to the President
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
3
Statistics 2006
• Appeals filed in 2006: 1659– ex-parte: 591
– inter partes: 1068
• Appeals closed in 2006: 1675– ex-parte: 657
– inter partes: 1000
• Languages: EN: 61.48%, DE: 19.95%, ES: 8.86%, FR: 6.75%, IT: 1.21%, Other: 1.75%
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
4
Overview
• Decisions of the Grand Board
• Restriction of goods and services
• Absolute grounds for refusal– examples: Misspellings, shape of product, public
policy/morality
• Relative grounds for refusal – examples: Earlier mark included in CTMA
• Designs
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
5
Decisions of the Grand Board
• R 495/2005-G of 6 July 2006 (SCREW YOU) – Article 7(1)(f) CTMR
• R 856/2004-G of 10 July 2006 (3D Shape of Lego Brick) – Article 51, Article 7(1)(e) CTMR
• R 331/2006-G of 27 September 2006 (OPTIMA) – Article 44(1) CTMR
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
6
Restriction of goods & services
• Express and unconditional – R 751/2006-2 of 20 September 2006
(VASCULAR WRAP); – R 162/2005-1 of 17 January 2006
(SOLUTION/BI-SOLUTION BS)
• “Negative restrictions” – limiting goods and services in so far as they do not possess a particular characteristic– R 746/2005-4 of 31 March 2006 (TIKKA TIKKA)
• Other restrictions, e.g. way the goods are sold– R 556/2005-1 of 3 February 2006
(ZELOXZAR/ZELDOX)
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
7
Absolute grounds for refusal (1)
• Article 7(1)(b),(c) CTMR: Misspellings
– R 352/2005-4 of 7 March 2006 (FRESHHH)
– R 374/2005-1 of 30 January 2006 (exsellent)
– R 782/2006-1 of 22 November 2006 (XPERT)
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
8
Absolute grounds for refusal (2)
• Shape of product
• Article 7(1)(b) CTMR: – R 724/2006-2 of 22 November 2006
(3D Pet Shelter)
• Article 7(1)(e)(ii) CTMR: – R 856/2004-G of 10 July 2006
(3D Shape of Lego Brick);
– R 1/2005-4 of 11 January 2006 (3D Hilti-Koffer)
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
9
Absolute grounds for refusal (3)
• Article 7(1)(f) CTMR: Public policy/morality
– R 495/2005-G (SCREW YOU)
– R 558/2006-2 (REVA)
– R 356/2005-4 (Erotik Lounge)
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
10
Relative grounds for refusal (1)
• Earlier mark included in CTMA
– Likelihood of confusion:
• R 823/2005-4 of 9 October 2006 (SinnLeffers/Sinn)
• R 268/2005-4 of 18 October 2006 (FOCUS Radio/Focus)
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
11
Relative grounds for refusal (2)
• Earlier mark included in CTMA
– No likelihood of confusion:
• R 94/2003-4 of 17 January 2006 (BIO KAIKU/BIO)
• R 566/2002-2 of 11 May 2006 (VICTORIA VOGUE/Vogue)
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
12
Designs
• R 1001/2005-3 of 27 October 2006(METAL RAPPERS)
• R 196/2006-3 of 22 November 2006(Underwater Motive Device)
• R 216/2005-3 of 8 November 2006(CAFETERA)
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
13
Further information
Case-law of the Boards of Appeal
http://oami.europa.eu/search/LegalDocs/la/en_BoA_index.cfm
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
WWW.OAMI.EUROPA.EU
Information: (+ 34) 965 139 764
(+ 34) 965 139 928
Documentation and Support ServiceBoards of AppealOffice for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)Avenida de Europa, 4E-03008 AlicanteSPAIN