Judgment of the Court of First Instance (First Chamber) of 15 September 2009 – Royal Appliance International v OHIM – BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte (Centrixx)

(Case T-446/07)

Community trade mark – Opposition procedure – Application for Community word mark Centrixx – Earlier national word mark sensixx – Relative ground for refusal – Likelihood of confusion – Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 40/94 (now Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 207/2009)

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 (Council Regulation No 40/94, Art. 8(1)(b)) (see paras 25-33, 59-64)

Re:

ACTION brought against the decision of the Fourth Board of Appeal of OHIM of 3 October 2007 (Case R 572/2006-4) concerning opposition proceedings between BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH and Royal Appliance International GmbH.

Information relating to the case

Applicant for the Community trade mark:	Royal Appliance International GmbH
Community trade mark sought:	Word mark ‘Centrixx’ for goods in Class 7 – Application No 3016227
Proprietor of the mark or sign cited in the opposition proceedings:	BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH
Mark or sign cited in opposition:	German word mark ‘sensixx’ for goods in Class 7 – Registration No 30244090
Decision of the Opposition Division:	Opposition dismissed
Decision of the Board of Appeal:	Annulment of the decision of the Opposition Division and refusal of the application for registration of the mark

Operative part

The Court:

1.

Dismisses the action;

2.

Orders Royal Appliance International GmbH to pay the costs.