A Quickie From The Cfi; It Conference - Together With A Competition!

En vitessse - un quickie

Bonjour, mes braves, dit l'IPKat. Aujourd'hui nous avons ce jugement, que n'est pas traduit en anglais: c'est l’affaire T-74/04 Société des produits Nestlé SA contre l'Office de l’harmonisation dans le marché intérieur, Quick restaurants SA.

Nestlé sought to register, equally a Community merchandise mark, the QUICKY rabbit (above, right: in the CFI transcript the rabbit grade is accompanied yesteryear the subscript give-and-take "QUICKY") for goods inward Classes 29, xxx as well as 32. Quick Restaurants opposed, citing before Benelux (and other) registrations inward Classes 29, 30, 32, 33 as well as 42 of its ain Quick signs (left) as well as of the give-and-take grade QUICKIES inward Classes 29, xxx as well as 42. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 likelihood of confusion nether Art.8(1)(b) of Regulation 40/94 was alleged.

The Opposition Division upheld the opposition inward observe of numerous goods as well as services as well as Nestlé, having appealed unsuccessfully to the Board of Appeal, tried its luck amongst the Court of First Instance - which dismissed the appeal. On the similarity of the respective marks the CFI had this to say:

"49 ... il convient d’analyser la similitude visuelle entre les éléments verbaux QUICKIES et QUICKY, puis, au cas où une telle similitude serait constatée, de vérifier si l’élément graphique ou figuratif additionnel, propre à la marque demandée, est susceptible de constituer un élément de différenciation suffisant pour écarter l’existence d’une similitude visuelle des signes en conflit aux yeux du world de référence .... En d’autres termes, il est nécessaire de déterminer si, d’un dot de vue visuel, le dessin du lapin constitue l’élément dominant de la marque demandée, c’est-à-dire domine à lui seul l’image que le world pertinent garde en mémoire, ou si, au contraire, il est un élément distinctif d’intensité égale ou inférieure à l’élément verbal constitué par le mot « quicky ».

50 Les éléments verbaux QUICKIES et QUICKY présentent incontestablement une similitude sur le innovation visuel. En ce qui concerne l’importance qu’il convient d’accorder au dessin du lapin comme élément de différenciation entre les deux signes en conflit, celui-ci ne saurait constituer l’élément dominant dans l’impression d’ensemble produite par la marque demandée, au dot que l’élément verbal QUICKY en deviendrait négligeable. En effet, lorsqu’une marque est composée d’éléments verbaux et figuratifs, les premiers sont, en principe, plus distinctifs que les seconds, auto le consommateur moyen fera plus facilement référence aux produit en crusade en citant le nom qu’en décrivant l’élément figuratif de la marque ... Par ailleurs, l’élément verbal QUICKY n’est pas écrit en petits caractères et sa représentation graphique fit à la largeur du dessin du lapin. En outre, il occupe, dans la marque demandée, une house aussi importante que le dessin, puisqu’il est placé de façon très visible, immédiatement sous le dessin.

51 Ensuite, il y a lieu de relever que l’élément figuratif de la marque demandée, à savoir le dessin d’un lapin, pourrait être perçu par le world davantage comme un élément décoratif de l’étiquette des produits désignés que comme le signe indiquant l’origine des produits. En effet, comme la requérante l’a admis lors de l’audience en réponse à une enquiry du Tribunal, l’utilisation d’un creature jovial et animé, par exemple un dinosaure ou un lapin ressemblant à un personnage de dessin animé, est un procédé qui est utilisé par les fabricants de produits alimentaires pour capter un world jeune, notamment les enfants. Cette utilisation fréquente de différents animaux pour ce type de produits a pour conséquence une banalisation de leur usage et de leur caractère distinctif, lequel, ce faisant, tend à être considérablement diminué".

According to Babelfish this means:

"49. ... it is advisable to analyze the visual similarity betwixt verbal elements QUICKIES as well as QUICKY, then, if such a similarity would endure noted, to banking enterprise check if the chemical constituent graphic or figurative additional, specific to the required mark, constitutes a sufficient chemical constituent of differentiation to describe aside the existence of a visual similarity of the signs inward conflict to the eyes of Blue Planet of reference ... In other words, it is necessary to determine if, from a visual dot of view, the drawing of rabbit constitutes the chemical constituent dominating of the required mark, i.e. dominates amongst him alone the paradigm that the relevant world keeps inward memory, or if, on the contrary, it is a distinctive chemical constituent of intensity equal or lower than the verbal chemical constituent consisted the give-and-take "quicky".

50. Verbal elements QUICKIES as well as QUICKY incontestably introduce a similarity on the visual level. With regard to the importance which it is advisable to attach to the drawing of rabbit similar chemical constituent of differentiation betwixt the 2 signs inward conflict, this ane could non flora the chemical constituent dominating inward the overall impression produced yesteryear the required mark, thus much thus that verbal chemical constituent QUICKY would move negligible most it. Indeed, when a grade is made upwardly of verbal as well as figurative elements, the root are, inward theory, to a greater extent than distinctive than the seconds, because the average consumer volition to a greater extent than easily refer to the production inward enquiry yesteryear quoting the lift than yesteryear describing the figurative chemical constituent of the grade ... In addition, verbal chemical constituent QUICKY is non written inward pocket-size characters as well as its nautical chart corresponds to the width of the drawing of rabbit. Moreover, it occupies, inward the grade requested, a house equally of import equally the drawing, since it is placed inward a real visible way, straight off nether the drawing.

51 Then, it is necessary to heighten that the figurative chemical constituent of the required mark, namely the drawing of a rabbit, could endure perceived yesteryear Blue Planet to a greater extent than similar a decorative chemical constituent of the label of the indicated products that equally the sign indicating the origin of the products. Indeed, equally the applicant ane admitted at the fourth dimension of the audience inward answer to a enquiry of the Court, the operate of a jovial as well as animated animal, for instance a dinosaur or a rabbit resembling to a grapheme of animated drawing, is a procedure which is used yesteryear the manufacturers of foodstuffs to collect a immature public, inward item the children. This frequent operate of diverse animals for this type of products has equally a resultant a vulgarizing of their operate as well as their distinctive nature, which, yesteryear doing this, tends to considerably existence decreased".

is anxious that he has missed something as well as real much hopes that his friends volition right whatever errors yesteryear posting a Comment below. Merpel, having conducted a brief tour of the internet, wonders whether the existent employment amongst the rabbit is that Nestlé seems to operate it inward thus many unlike poses ...

See likewise Case T-348/02 Quick Restaurants SA v OHIM, a instance that was translated into English linguistic communication thus long later it was initially decided that the IPKat forgot to send on looking for it.


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