Beroep op Asics merk tegen beeldmerkaanvraag met vier lijnen die kruisen slaagt niet

Gerecht EU 16 oktober 2018, IEF 18031; IEFbe 2763; ECLI:EU:T:2018:685; T-581/17 (Asics tegen EUIPO - Van Lieshout Textielagenturen) Merkenrecht. Van Lieshout Textielagenturen heeft een beeldmerkaanvraag gedaan voor vier gekruiste lijnen. Oppositie is gebaseerd op Asics beeldmerken. Oppositiedivisie wees de oppositie af. Board of Appeal wijst het beroep af: "the only similarity resulting from the presence of lines which crossed". Gerecht EU wijst het beroep af.

44      Next, it should be noted that the mark applied for is composed of four thin straight black lines with a serrated outline. Two of those lines, placed in parallel, go upwards diagonally from left to right and cross, in their middle, two other shorter parallel lines, going downwards diagonally from left to right.

45      As regards the earlier marks, they are composed of four thick black lines. Two straight lines go downwards diagonally from left to right, while moving slightly apart from each other, and cross two converging curved lines which go upwards from left to right. The convergence and crossing of the straight lines and the curved lines give the earlier marks, which may be perceived as the letter ‘x’ superimposed on the letter ‘v’ or on the character ‘’, an impression of movement.

46      Thus, even if the consumer does not recall details such as the size or thickness of the lines, the overall impression between, on the one hand, thick lines and curves forming a letter ‘x’ superimposed on a character ‘’ and, on the other hand, thin straight lines that can be perceived as a character ‘#’ inclined backwards to 45 degrees is so different that the consumer will not make a connection between the signs at issue solely on the basis that they are both composed of parallel lines crossing two other longer lines.