ECLI:NL:GHSGR:2010:BL1934

GERECHTSHOF ’s-GRAVENHAGE Sector handel Zaaknummer : 200.022.937/01 beschikking van de vijfde civiele kamer d.d. 26 januari 2010 inzake De vennootschap naar Duits recht ENBW ENERGIE BADEN-WUERTTENBERG AG, gevestigd te Karlsruhe, Duitsland, verzoekster, hierna te noemen: EnBW, advocaat: mr. P.J.M. Steinhauser te Amsterdam, tegen de BENELUX-ORGANISATIE VOOR DE INTELLECTUELE EIGENDOM (MERKEN EN TEKENINGEN OF MODELLEN) en haar orgaan het BENELUX-BUREAU VOOR DE INTELLECTUELE EIGENDOM, gevestigd te Den Haag, verweerder, hierna te noemen: het Bureau, vertegenwoordigers ex art. 2.12 lid 2 BVIE: mrs. C.J.P. Janssen en P. Veeze. Bij op 20 januari 2009 ter griffie van het hof ingekomen verzoekschrift heeft EnBW het hof verzocht het Bureau te bevelen over te gaan tot inschrijving van het, als internationaal merk voor onder andere de Benelux gedeponeerde, teken THE POWER PIONEERS als woordmerk voor de waren en diensten waarvoor is gedeponeerd, althans voor een aantal van die waren en diensten, kosten rechtens. Het Bureau heeft bij op 16 maart 2009 ter griffie van het hof ingekomen verweerschrift verzocht het verzoek van EnBW af te wijzen, met veroordeling van EnBW in de proceskosten. De mondelinge behandeling van het verzoek heeft plaatsgevonden op 8 juni 2009. Partijen hebben hun standpunten doen toelichten, EnBW door mr. Steinhauser en het Bureau door mr. Veeze. Bij die gelegenheid heeft EnBW een akte genomen, waarbij zij haar subsidiaire verzoek heeft gewijzigd en nog een aantal producties heeft overgelegd. 9. Of de door het Bureau gegeven motivering ten aanzien van alle waren en diensten voldoende is, kan in het midden blijven, nu de bevoegdheid van het hof bestaat uit het toetsen van de juistheid van de beslissing van het Bureau tot weigering van de inschrijving van het depot zoals dat aan het Bureau werd voorgelegd en zoals dit eventueel na een kennisgeving door het Bureau van zijn voornemen de inschrijving geheel of gedeeltelijk te weigeren door de deposant is aangepast. Dit brengt mee dat het hof niet, hetzij op verlangen van de deposant, hetzij ambtshalve, een wijziging kan aanbrengen in de door de deposant opgegeven lijst van waren en diensten door daaruit bepaalde waren en diensten te schrappen, en dat het evenmin bevoegd is een bevel tot inschrijving te geven dat anderszins beperkingen inhoudt ten opzichte van het door het Bureau beoordeelde en vervolgens geweigerde depot (vergelijk BenGH 29 juni 2006, NJ 2006, 596 inz. Europolis). In zijn arrest van 15 februari 2007 , C-239/05 (inzake THE KITCHEN COMPANY) heeft het Hof van Justitie EG deze procedurele (Benelux-)aanpak in beginsel geautoriseerd. In de bezwaarfase heeft EnBw geen (onvoorwaardelijk en ondubbelzinnig) verzoek tot beperking van de waren en diensten waarvoor het merk is gedeponeerd ingediend en/of haar depot beperkt. Weliswaar is namens EnBW in de brief van haar gemachtigden van 11 april 2008 een alinea gewijd aan het niet beschrijvend zijn voor alle producten/diensten en wordt daarin opgemerkt dat het merk toch zeer zeker niet beschrijvend is voor het overgrote deel van de geclaimde producten/diensten, maar deze alinea eindigt met de stelling dat de kern van deze zaak blijft dat ook voor “energie” gerelateerde producten het merk onderscheidend is. Deze brief eindigt bovendien met (als conclusie) het verzoek alsnog zorg te dragen voor inschrijving van het merk (zonder meer), terwijl in de brief van 9 juli 2008 helemaal niet meer op deze kwestie wordt ingegaan, ondanks de opmerking van het Bureau dat het aan de deposant is om eventuele beperkingen aan te brengen. Het bovenstaande brengt mee dat het hof niet toekomt aan beoordeling van het subsidiaire verzoek. 10. EnBW beroept zich tevergeefs op inschrijving van het merk THE POWER PIONEERS door het Britse merkenbureau (UKIPO) en andere inschrijvingen van vergelijkbare tekens. Het hof overweegt dat het Bureau niet is gebonden aan zijn eigen eerdere beslissingen of beslissingen van andere toetsende instanties. Het onderscheidend vermogen van het onderhavige teken dient te worden beoordeeld op zijn eigen merites. 11. Uit het bovenstaande volgt dat het verzoek van EnBW zal worden afgewezen. EnBW zal, als de in het ongelijk gestelde partij, worden veroordeeld in de kosten van de procedure aan de zijde van het Bureau. Het hof zal de kosten naar redelijkheid begroten, daarbij in aanmerking nemende dat het Bureau zich in dit geding heeft laten vertegenwoordigen op de voet van artikel 2.11, lid 2 BVIE. Het hof: wijst het verzoek van EnBW af; veroordeelt EnBW in de kosten van deze procedure, tot op heden aan de zijde van het Bureau begroot op € 313,-- aan verschotten en € 1.341,-- aan salaris voor de gemachtigde. Deze beschikking is gegeven door mrs. J.C. Fasseur-van Santen, A.D. Kiers-Becking en C.J. Verduyn; het is uitgesproken ter openbare terechtzitting van 26 januari 2010, in aanwezigheid van de griffier. 1. Uit de stellingen van partijen en de processtukken is het volgende gebleken. a. EnBW heeft op 19 januari 2006 een internationaal merkdepot voor onder meer de Benelux verricht van het woordmerk THE POWER PIONEERS voor de volgende waren en diensten: 04 Technical oils and greases; lubricants; dust absorption, dust wetting and dust bonding agents; fuels (incl. motor fuels) and luminous materials; candles, wicks; gases as fuels; liquefied gases, industrial gases; liquefied and compressed gas. 06 Door chains; window handles with additional lock; lateral hinge safety device for windows; safety hardware; safety rosettes; safety striking plates; mechanical forced locking; protective plates for doors and windows; safety chains; mechanical break open catches; mechanical safety devices, especially safety devices for blinds; cellar shaft safety devices; cellar window safety devices; cellar safety gratings; locks (except electric locks), especially padlocks; long shackle type connectors, cable locks, helix cable locks; mortise locks; padlocks; armoured bolt locks; chain locks; additional case locks; alarm door locks; long shackle type connectors; all above mentioned goods out of metal. 07 Machines, namely automatic filling machines, heel production machines, suction machines for industrial purposes, separators (machines), painting machines, drive mechanisms except for land crafts, ash screens (machines), draught frames, mining machines, concrete mixing plants, binding machines, tin printing machines, drilling machines, crushers, comminution machines, stampers (machines), steam engines, compressed air machines, printing machines, wrapping machines, electromechanical machines for the chemical industry, degreasing machines, earth movers, crude oil refining machines, ore dressing machines, moulding machines, milling machines, dyeing machines, hoisting machines, filling machines, blowers, screw taps, thread cutters, foundry machines, glass processing machines, railway track machinery, ditch excavation machines, engraving machines, electric hand drills, stapling machines, planing machines, adjusting machines, kneading machines, agricultural machines, chisel machines, knife grinding machines, metal working machines, riveting machines, paper production machines, polishing machines and apparatus (electric), embossing machines, straightening machines, stirring machines, tracklaying machines, grinding machines, cutting machines, welding machines (electric), screening machines, sorting machines for industrial purposes, dish washers, stone shaping machines, franking machines, road making machines, tobacco processing machines, tar spraying machines, dividing machines, typographical machines, whitewashing machines, packaging machines, washing machines, hosiery machines, centrifugal machines, comminution machines for industrial purposes, cutting machines and machine tools; motors (except motors for land crafts); clutches and devices for power transmission (except those for land crafts); not manually operated agricultural devices; incubators for eggs; electrical food processors including domestic electrical blending mixers (included in this class); installations for energy generation, namely wind power generators, machine driven hand tools; installations for energy generation mainly comprising dynamos and/or electric generators and/or current generators and/or turbines (except for land crafts), hydraulic turbines or AC generators; crude oil refining machines; gas cleaning devices. 09 Scientific, nautical, surveying, photographic, cinematographic, optical, weighing, measuring, signalling, controlling, life-saving and teaching apparatus and instruments; apparatus and instruments for conducting, switching, transforming, storing, regulating and controlling electricity; electric measuring devices and instruments; magnetic recording carriers, disk records; automatic vending machines and mechanisms for coin operated machines; cash registers; calculating machines; software, data processing equipment and computers; web pads; electric devices and products of information and communication technology (included in this class); electric devices, hardware and software for remote operation and remote control of devices and installations in the domestic field and in the garden; electronic computer networks (included in this class); electronic hotel guides; electric devices, hardware and software for the purpose of detecting functional defects (also by remote diagnosis) as well as of data transmission regarding such functional defects and the repair of such functional defects on domestic appliances and installations as well as in the garden (included in this class); fire-extinguishing apparatus; alarm systems; domestic safeguarding devices (alarm systems); burglar alarm systems; safety cameras; devices for reception, recording, transmission, processing, output and reproduction of data, speech, text, signals, sound and video; sound carriers, sound video carriers (except unexposed films), data carriers; coded phone cards; sound recording devices, phototelegraphic devices, sound and video reception devices, TV sets, telephones, remote controls, transmitting and receiving sets, radio telegraphy sets, magnetic tape recorders for data processing, electric measuring instruments, monitors for computer hardware, computer peripherals, photocopying apparatus and machines (incl. electronic and thermal devices and machines), CD players, projecting apparatus, video recorders, transmitters for electronic signals, video games as attachments for TV sets, make contacts, ammeters, circuit breakers, electric loss indicators, current transformers, commutators, fax machines, telecopiers, electric temperature indicators, audio amplifiers, sound reproduction units, telephone transmission apparatus, surveying apparatus and instruments, distribution cabinets for electricity, distribution panels for electricity, thermal control apparatus, electric counters, electric totalizers, time recording devices, time switches (not for clockworks); other electric counting devices; installations for energy generation, mainly comprising electric fuel cells; gasometers; electrochemical fuel cells for power generation; photovoltaic installations for power generation; gas checking devices (included in this class). 11 Devices for lighting, heating, steam generation, cooking, refrigeration, drying, ventilation and water conduits as well as sanitary installations; electrochemical fuel cells for heat generation; photovoltaic installations for heat generation; fittings for gas and natural gas, namely gas meters, gas pressure controllers as well as gas mask canisters, natural gas preheaters, safety shut-off valves and blow-off valves for gas pressure controllers; gas burners, gas producers, gas lighters, gas lamps, gas boilers, gas condensers (except machine parts), wet gas scrubbers (parts of gas installations), control and safety accessories for gas units as well as for gas conduits and water devices, freezing cupboards and chest freezers; electric lamps; air conditioning systems, air conditioning apparatus; light distributors, tubular lamps for lighting purposes; fittings, devices and installation material for liquefied gas plants, refrigerating sets and refrigerators; installations for energy generation, namely gas generators. 12 Vehicles; apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water. 16 Paper, cardboard and goods made out of such materials (included in this class); printer's products; bookbinding articles; photographs; stationery; adhesives for stationery or for household purposes; artists' supplies, paint brushes; typewriters and office supplies (except furniture); instructional and teaching material (except apparatus); packaging material out of plastic material (included in this class); printers' type; printing blocks; maps; atlases; hotel guides; printed products with information on installation work, repair services, handcraft services, plant engineering services, lock and key services, caretaker services, home help services, gardening services, services in the field of house and real estate administration, building and real estate business, technical and commercial building management; adhesive labels; labelled or print foils (decalcomanias) to stick on, label or decorate walls, windows, vehicles and other surfaces and objects; office supplies, namely notepads (card blocks), card boxes, ball-pens, displays made of cardboard, recipe collections, printing blocks and artwork, refreshing tissues (out of paper), packing bags (out of plastic); phone cards (uncoded). 17 Foils for the production of labelled or decorated surfaces. 19 Building materials (non-metallic); non-metallic rigid pipes for building; asphalt, pitch and bitumen; non-metallic transportable buildings; monuments, not of metal. 32 Beers; mineral waters and waters containing carbon dioxide and other soft drinks; fruit drinks and fruit juices; syrups and other preparations for making beverages. 35 Advertising; business management; company administration; office work; marketing of products and services of public energy and water utilities by business consultation, market research, public relations, organisation of exhibitions and trade fairs for advertising purposes, distribution of samples and presentation of goods for advertising purposes and by advertising; marketing of telecommunication networks including the services which are based upon telecommunication networks for the transmission of speech, data and images as well as of multimedia value-added services by business consultation, market research, public relations, organisation of exhibitions and trade fairs for advertising purposes, distribution of samples and presentation of goods for advertising purposes and by advertising; business consultation, market research, public relations, planning and execution of events in the field of public relations for the advertising of products for the cathodic corrosion protection; organisation of exhibitions and trade fairs for advertising purposes, distribution of samples and presentation of goods for advertising purposes and by advertising; realisation of multimedia advertising presentations; management of installations for energy generation and distribution; procurement of personnel for building management services; bookkeeping with respect to building management measures; compilation, preparation and systematisation of data in computer data bases; file management by means of computers; service of a price agency, namely determination of prices for goods and/or services; services of a multimedia agency, namely planning and organisation of advertising measures, presentation of companies on the Internet and in other media; execution of auctions, also in the Internet; supply order service, invoice settlement for electronic ordering systems, goods and services presentation; brokerage and renting of advertising surfaces, also on the Internet; providing of trade and offer contacts via the Internet; providing of trade contacts on the Internet; advertising on the Internet for third parties; organisational and business consultation services in the fields of energy, fuel cells, wind power installations and photovoltaic installations; energy consultation for households, trade and industry (included in this class); marketing services, namely marketing of new technologies, especially in the environmental and energy field; arrangement of commercial transactions and contracts for third parties, especially arrangement of contracts for third parties on transportation capacities and transportation services by means of power grids, also within the scope of e-commerce; organisational and business consultation in the energy field; preparation of cost-price-analyses in the field of building management; consumer consultation, also online, with respect to goods of daily use, luxury and utility articles, as well as with respect to goods and services for commercial and industrial use; craftsmen search and providing services, also online; expertise preparation on organisational and business questions with respect to energy, water, waste water and lighting equipment; business consultation in trade promotion; human resources, namely providing, recruitment, selection, management consulting of personnel, providing of temporary staff; organisational and business consultation in connection with energy-saving measures and in connection with the optimisation of heating systems; providing of personnel for the operation of power stations, especially hydropower stations, nuclear power stations, coal-fired power station, gas and steam turbine power stations, cogeneration systems, combined heating and power stations, heating stations, refuse incineration plants, energy-from-waste plants, hydropower and wind power stations, photovoltaic installations and transformer stations; providing of personnel for the energy management, namely management of energy generation and distribution plants; providing of personnel for the operation of distribution and transportation networks; providing of personnel for the operation of workshops; providing of personnel for the operation of sewage treatment plants; providing of personnel for the operation and maintenance of telecommunication networks; providing of personnel for the operation of electric street lighting systems; providing of personnel for the waste treatment plants; personnel leasing, namely providing of personnel for the installation, repair and maintenance of heating facilities, air conditioning systems, ventilation systems, sanitary facilities, management and control systems; temporary transfer of personnel; procurement of spare parts for third parties as well as procurement of technical and other consumables such as for example cleansing agents and toilet paper in connection with the maintenance and servicing of buildings; reading of electrical counters and meters for current, gas and water for third parties; heat consumption reading and accounting for the supply of heat for heating purposes from other companies; data management by means of computers; gas consumption reading and accounting for the supply of gas from other companies; brokerage of advertisements; updating of Internet contents. 36 Insurance, effecting insurance (especially standard automobile public liability insurance, automobile personal liability and property-damage insurance and comprehensive coverage excluding collision), settlement of claims (insurance); finance, monetary transactions, real estate business; electronic capital transfer; home banking; telebanking, namely online settlement of banking transactions; financial consultation regarding investment of risk capital; leasing of transport networks for energy transmission; building management, namely renting of buildings; financial consulting services in the fields of energy, fuel cells, wind power plants and photovoltaic installations; financial energy consultation; development of integral energy concepts with respect to finance; financial consultation with respect to energy-saving measures and with respect to the optimisation of heating systems; financial services; house and real estate administration; building administration; caretaker services (included in this class); financing of measures in connection with land development; financing consultation and financial planning in the field of building management; automobile leasing, financing of the acquisition of automobiles; real estate transactions of any type; granting of monetary loans and negotiation of loans; financial promotion of the development as well as of the testing of electrically driven off-track vehicles; financial participation in innovative and technology-oriented enterprises; financial consultation in the field of production of electric and thermal energy. 37 Building trade, namely construction of waste treatment plants, construction of power stations, especially hydroelectric power stations, nuclear power stations, coal-fired power stations, gas and steam turbine power stations, combined heating and power stations, heating stations; construction of landfill gas-fired power stations and natural gas/solar heat plants; construction of solar power stations, wind power stations, hydropower stations, biogas power stations; construction of power stations, especially hydropower stations, nuclear power stations, coal-fired power stations, gas and steam turbine power stations, cogeneration systems, combined heating and power stations, heating stations, refuse incineration plants, energy-from-waste plants, hydropower and wind power stations, photovoltaic installations and transformer stations; installation work; repair business, namely repair of network systems, energy networks, waste treatment plants, power stations, irrigation plants, alarm systems, electrical appliances, heating, air conditioning systems, refrigerators, telephones, stoves, office machines, machines, pumps, locks and automobiles; repair of data systems technology plants; network management, namely installation and maintenance of network systems (hardware); realisation (construction) and installation of distribution and transport networks as well as of transformer stations; construction of pipeline networks; construction and maintenance of energy generation and distribution plants, fuel cells, wind power stations and photovoltaic installations; maintenance of energy, fresh water and waste water plants and networks; realisation (construction) of cathodic corrosion protection plants; construction and maintenance of waste water and fresh water plants; technical building management, namely maintenance of buildings; cleaning of facades; installation of electric counters and meters for current, gas and water; plant engineering services, namely assembly, installation, maintenance, servicing, renovation, modernisation, expansion, conversion, rehabilitation and repair work of waste water and fresh water plants, conduits and other installations for their feeding and discharge, sanitary installations, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning plants, industrial plants, mechanical equipment and their parts, technical devices, installations and apparatus for the safeguarding of buildings, plants, transportation means, domestic appliances, consumer electronics and information technology equipment as well as photovoltaic plants, utility service lines (e.g. gas and electricity), buildings and their parts; installation, maintenance and servicing of heat production, heat transport and heat distribution plants including meters for third parties; construction of gas plants, especially liquefied gas plants; construction of gas storage plants; construction and servicing of gas transport lines plus related installations, especially mixing, measuring and control stations as well as stations for transfer of gas, storage plants and telecommunication plants; services in the field of the repair business, namely repair of data systems technology plants, network systems, distribution and transportation networks, waste treatment plants, power stations, energy generation and distribution plants, waste water and fresh water plants and networks, buildings, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, industrial plants, mechanical equipment and their parts, technical equipment and electric street lighting systems; maintenance and repair of filling stations for gaseous fuels; maintenance and repair of gas operated motor vehicles; cellular phone repairs; network management, namely installation and maintenance of network systems; maintenance of data systems technology plants; realisation (construction) of web stations; realisation (construction) and maintenance of electric street lighting; realisation (construction) of the supply and disposal infrastructure (lines and pipes for current, gas, water as well as for data, drains and sewerage system) in the development of building sites; road construction; cleaning of building (inside and outside); repair, maintenance and servicing of automobiles including performance of the required inspections and checks; repair of motor vehicle fleets; cleaning of vehicles; installation of fixed network connections; construction, realisation (construction) and maintenance of cable infrastructures, wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN), telecommunication systems, building installations and special networks, fire detection systems, detection systems and other media technology equipment; construction and maintenance of telecommunication networks with the integrated transmission method and switching including attributed network management; construction and installation of distribution and transportation networks; construction of sewage treatment plants; construction of telecommunication systems, electroacoustic plants, transmitting and receiving sets, common antenna installations; installation and repair of transmitting and receiving sets, mainly comprising transmitter-receivers, antenna masts and radio receivers; installation and repair of common antenna installations, mainly comprising receiver antennae for radio and TV signals, antenna wire and wiring; realisation (construction) of consumer installations (for gas/natural gas, local heating, cold); construction of air conditioning systems; services of a painter; installation and maintenance work within the scope of services of an electrical fitter, sanitary fitter, joiner, concrete worker, well digger, tiler, building constructor, road engineer, heat insulation worker, low temperature insulation worker, sound insulation worker, carpenter, electromechanic, heating and ventilation fitter, refrigerating plants' fitter, car mechanic, shopwindow constructor, fitter, plumber, all above mentioned services (included in this class); cleaning of apartments and buildings; ironing of laundry; furniture assembly and disassembly service; domestic automation, namely installation, repair and maintenance of heating systems, air conditioning systems, ventilation systems, sanitary facilities, management and control systems, each also by remote control; installation of apparatus and devices for remote operation and remote control of apparatus and devices in the domestic field and in the garden; repair business, namely detection of functional defects (also by remote diagnosis) and removal of such functional defects on domestic appliances and installations as well as in the garden. 38 Operation of telecommunication networks with the integrated transmission method and switching including attributed network management; providing access to a world-wide computer network; providing of Internet access (software) and hence to texts, images, audio-visual offers, multimedia offers, databases and computer programmes on the Internet; providing of Internet accesses (software); e-mail data services; data transfer on the Internet; connecting of Internet domains and e-mail addresses in computer networks; online services, namely transfer of messages, images and information of any type whatsoever; web messaging, namely forwarding of messages of any type to Internet addresses; consultation for telecommunications technology; providing telecommunication connections with a world-wide computer network; interactive videotex; telex services; broadcasting of television programmes and sound broadcast transmissions; telephone service; broadcasting of cable television programmes; communication by fibreoptic networks; line, routing and connection services for telecommunications; mobile radiocommunications service; collection and delivery of messages; transmission of messages; transmission of messages and images by means of computers; electronic message transfer; renting of devices for message transmission; paging by radio broadcasting, telephone or by any other means of electronic communication; services of a press agency, especially collecting and delivery of press reports; broadcasting of sound broadcast transmissions; satellite transmission; telephone service; telegraph service; telegraphing; telegram service; telegram transmission; information on telecommunications; telephone conference services; telecopying service; renting of telecommunication devices, especially of facsimile machines, modems, telephones; providing access to information in data networks; cellular phone lending and providing of stand-by cellular phones; Internet by call, namely providing of access to the Internet by separate dial-up into a network and separate invoicing without the necessity of a permanent contractual obligation with the network provider; operation of chatlines, chatrooms and discussion forums on the Internet; data transmission via power grids (powerline); renting of fixed network connections; preselection telephony; call-by-call telephony; providing access to an e-commerce platform on the Internet; providing access to Internet portals for third parties; providing of access to portals and platforms on the Internet; providing access to electronic information, communication and transaction platforms on the Internet; providing and renting of access times to databases with search and polling possibilities. 39 Transportation; packing, storage and delivery of goods of any type whatsoever; organisation of travels; distribution of fresh water; providing of transport networks for transmission of energy for third parties for a consideration (included in this class); distribution of gas, heat for heating purposes and energy, especially current, water, heat (local and district heat), cold, especially to industrial customers, as well as supply to third parties by delivery of current, gas, water, heat (local and district heat) and cold; renting of cars; collection, storage, dumping and transport of refuse; waste water disposal; logistics services on the transport sector; moving services, especially renting of vehicles for moving services; logistics services with respect to moving; transportation of goods and individuals with ships and automobiles; towing away of automobiles within the scope of the automobile roadway repair service; performance of moving services; transportation of goods by truck; providing of parking and store space for third parties by parking space services and renting of parking space; operation of parking garages; administration of motor vehicle fleets; storage of spare parts for third parties as well as of technical and other consumables such as for example cleansing agents and toilet paper in connection with the maintenance and servicing of buildings; transportation of cellular phone for repair purposes (cellular phone repair pick-up service); distribution of fuels, especially distribution of gaseous fuels by means of pipelines, storage of fuels, especially in underground pore and cavern reservoirs; supply and distribution of gas; delivery of gas to consumers; transfer of gas, transport and distribution of heat generated by natural gas; heat transport and heat distribution plants; storage of liquefied natural gas; transport, storage and supply of energy by means of power grids; distribution of current and other energy volumes in power grids according to demand; transport of gases and liquids, especially of natural gas by means of power grids, also by subcontractors as well as services in connection with the transport of gases and liquids, procurement of transport capacities in third party power grids; storage of gas, especially liquefied gas for third parties; filling of gas into containers for third parties; operation of filling stations for gaseous fuels, namely fuelling of vehicles; hiring out of vending machines for gas. 40 Material processing; technical treatment of water and waste water; waste water disposal by waste water treatment; fresh water treatment; refuse recycling; recycling and disposal of refuse by compost preparation, chemical transformation, treatment, destruction and combustion; thermal disposal; destruction of refuse; generation of energy and heat (local and district heat); generation of energy by the operation of fuel cells, wind power plants and photovoltaic plants; exhaust air purification; refuse incineration; key copying services; preparation of gas, especially natural gas and petroleum gas; gas treatment, especially liquefied gas treatment, for third parties; chemical processing for the production of liquefied gas; production of heat from natural gas; hiring out of heat production. 41 Education, training; execution of training courses; sporting and cultural activities; entertainment, also on the Internet; hiring out of entertainment companies; performance of games, also online; issuing of publishing and printer's products in electronic form, also in intranets and on the Internet; personnel training; planning and execution of educational events; operation of public swimming pools for entertainment and sporting purposes; digital imaging. 42 Scientific and technological services and research work and designer services in this respect; services of an engineer for gas, water and district heat networks; industrial analysis and research services; design and development of computer hardware and software; legal advice and representation; weather forecast, also online; scientific and industrial research and development; environmental services, namely environmentally related consultation, technical development of concepts for the environmental risk management; technical planning, technical management of refuse treatment plants and gas storage plants; technical consultation and technical activity of an expert; building and construction planning and consultation; energy management, namely technical management of energy generation and distribution plants by providing technical know-how; technical management of power stations, especially hydroelectric power stations, nuclear power stations, coal-fired power stations, gas and steam turbine power stations, combined heating and power stations, heating stations, refuse incineration plants, energy-from-waste plants, hydropower and wind power stations, photovoltaic installations and transformer stations, solar power stations, wind power stations and biogas power stations; providing the technical know-how for the technical operation of distribution and transportation networks, workshops, refuse treatment plants as well as of transformer stations by providing technical know-how; technical planning and technical operation of electric street lighting systems, of sewage treatment plants and of air conditioning systems; technical operation of telecommunication networks; services of an engineer, especially providing of services of an engineer for installations of transformation and application of energy and gas; technical building management (included in this class); technical planning of waste water and fresh water systems; technical planning of energy systems; technical and ecological consulting services in the energy field, especially technical energy consulting for households, trade and industry; technical consulting in connection with energy-saving measures and in connection with the optimisation of heating systems; energy management, namely technical consultation and planning of energy generation and distribution plants, fuel cells, wind power plants and photovoltaic installations; technical planning and technical operation of gas transport lines plus related installations, especially mixing, measuring and control stations as well as stations for transfer of gas, storage plants and telecommunication plants; technical consultation, planning and technical management of energy generation and distribution systems, fuel cells, wind power plants and photovoltaic plants; technical management of waste water and fresh water plants as well as of lighting systems and plants for gas supply; expertise preparation on technical questions with respect to energy, water, waste water and lighting equipment; development of integral energy concepts on a technical and ecological level (consultation on environmental protection and technical energy consultation); acceptance and granting of licenses; acceptance, execution and granting of research and development orders; research and development, especially in the field of environmental technology; services in all fields of energy and water management and supply, namely preparation of energy management analyses and technical concepts taking into consideration ecology and infrastructure; technical development of infrastructure plans; technical measurements of current and natural gas; provision and renting of gas, current and water meters; technical water laboratory services; development of software architectures, modules and interfaces for electronic and electrotechnical equipment, component parts and systems; services in the field of forestry and agriculture, namely forestation research, biological research concerning integrated plant cultivation, research concerning manuring and harvest; technical promotion of the development as well as testing of electrically driven off-track vehicles; technical consultation on, technical planning and operation (by providing of technical know-how) of cathodic corrosion protection of pipelines; technica l planning and technical consultation with respect to cathodic corrosion protection of pipeline networks; technical operation of cathodic corrosion protection plants; technical planning, inspection and design planning of pipeline networks; technical operation of street lighting equipment (included in this class); providing of services of an engineer for plants of transformation and application of energy and gas; preparation of technical concepts for house building planning; services of a surveying office; preparation of construction drawings; technical participation in innovative and technology oriented enterprises as well as licensing of know-how and industrial property rights; technical planning and technical operation of refuse treatment plants, landfill gas-fired power stations and natural gas/solar heat plants; technical planning of telecommunication networks with integrated transmission method and switching including attributed network management; services of a communication technician, especially with respect to audio-visual media such as video pages and video boards (included in this class); technical operation of geographical information systems; technical inspection of equipment, machines and plants of any type; network management, namely installation and maintenance of network systems (software); technical operation of cable infrastructures, wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN), telecommunication systems, building installations and special networks, fire detection systems, detection systems and other media technology equipment; maintenance of Internet portals (software) for third parties; providing consulting services on the use of search engines to Internet users through a hotline service; technical consulting through hotline services; technical preparation of multimedia presentations by software programmes; consultation concerning the design of homepages and Internet pages; services of a data base, namely operation of search engines for the Internet; preparation and design of websites and parts of websites on the Internet by means of computer-generated images and sounds (computer animations); server administration; consultation for telecommunication technology; providing of computer programmes in data networks; electronic data storage for third parties; design of homepages and web sites; services of an Internet agency, namely planning and maintenance of Internet contents, hardware and software consultation, implementation of EDP programmes in network structures as well as digital storage of software, data, images, audio and/or video information; renting of data carriers with software, data, images, audio and/or video information stored on such data carriers (included in this class); services of a certification authority (trust center), namely issuance and administration of digital codes and/or digital signatures; renting of web servers; providing of memory space on the Internet; licensing of software; technical consultation concerning the Internet; verification of digital signatures; introduction of websites on the Internet for third parties (webhosting); development of software for Internet and Intranet applications; providing of programmes for the creation of Internet pages and computer programmes; award, registration and administration of domain names and e-mail addresses; scientific and technological consultation for refuse disposal; consultation in communications technology, technical consultation in the field of geographical information systems; technical management of energy, water and waste water plants and networks; technical operation of distribution networks; preparation of technical concept and project studies in the field of gas technology, especially in the field of gas transport and gas application; preparation of programmes for data processing, especially programmes in the field of gas transport and gas application as well as in the field of providing of energy supply contracts; technical consultation in the field of production of electric and thermal energy; planning of gas plants, especially liquefied gas plants; services in the field of forestry and agriculture, namely forestation research, biological research as well as research concerning manuring and harvest; plant engineering services, namely design, of waste water and fresh water plants, conduits and other installations for their feeding and discharge, sanitary installations, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning plants, industrial plants, mechanical equipment and their parts, technical devices, installations and apparatus for the safeguarding of buildings, plants, transportation means, domestic appliances, consumer electronics and information technology equipment as well as photovoltaic plants, utility service lines (e.g. gas and electricity), buildings and their parts; hiring out of measuring apparatus and instruments (included in class 42), in particular gas meters, air pressure meters, electricity meters, voltage meters and meters for heat consumption. 43 Services for providing food and drink; temporary accommodation; operation of kitchens, canteens and restaurants; providing food and drink for employees and guests in canteens and casinos within the scope of enterprises, authorities and other public institutions. 44 Gardening services; services in the field of forestry and agriculture, namely forestation consultation, biological consultation on integrated plant cultivation, consultation on manuring and harvest, consultation on livestock husbandry. 45 Personal and social services rendered by others to meet the needs of individuals; security services for the protection of property and individuals; services for the private household, namely cooking, shopping and child care; services in the field of domestic safeguarding; services of a security company; guarding of real estate. Vervolgens is het depot tweemaal op verzoek van het bureau van het land van oorsprong, het Duitse Patent- und Markenamt beperkt voor wat betreft een aantal waren en diensten in de klassen 7, 9, 37, 42 en 44. b. Bij brief van 4 maart 2008 heeft het Bureau aan de WIPO medegedeeld voornemens te zijn de inschrijving te weigeren omdat het teken THE POWER PIONEERS beschrijvend is en onderscheidend vermogen mist (artikel 2.11, lid 1, sub b en c BVIE). c. Bij brief van 11 april 2008 hebben de gemachtigden van EnBW bezwaar gemaakt tegen de voorlopige weigering. EnBW heeft betwist dat het teken beschrijvend is en onderscheidend vermogen mist. Zij heeft daarbij het Bureau verzocht “de voorlopige weigering te herzien en alsnog zorg te dragen voor inschrijving van het merk THE POWER PIONEERS in het Benelux register.” In de brief wordt voorts gesteld: Het is ons overigens niet helemaal duidelijk waarom het Bureau het merk heeft geweigerd voor alle producten en diensten. Als het merk al beschrijvend zou zijn (hetgeen wij bestrijden), dan is het merk toch zeer zeker niet beschrijvend voor het overgrote deel van de geclaimde producten/diensten in de klassen 4, 6, 7, 9, 11. 12, 16, 17, 19, 32, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44,en 45.Hoe kan het merk THE POWER PIONEERS bijvoorbeeld beschrijvend zijn voor “door chains; window handles with additional lock”in klasse 6 of “Building materials (non-metallic)” in klasse 19?. Maar zelfs als men stelt dat het merk zeker volledig onderscheidend is voor een substantieel deel der waren, blijft de kern van deze zaak dat ook voor “energie” gerelateerde producten, het merk onderscheidend is.” d. Op voormeld bezwaar heeft het Bureau bij brief van 13 mei 2008 gereageerd, waarbij het heeft medegedeeld dat de aanvrager dient aan te geven en aan te tonen waarom de weigeringsgrond niet geldt voor een aantal specifieke waren en diensten en het aan de deposant is om eventuele beperkingen aan te brengen. Daarna is namens EnBw bij brief van haar gemachtigden van 9 juli 2008 haar bezwaar herhaald, waarbij zij niet meer is teruggekomen op haar stelling dat het merk (in ieder geval) niet beschrijvend is een deel van de geclaimde producten/diensten. Hierop heeft het Bureau wederom gereageerd bij brief van 25 augustus 2008. e. Bij brief van 20 november 2008 aan de gemachtigden van EnBW heeft het Bureau zijn beslissing medegedeeld dat de inschrijving definitief wordt geweigerd. 2. Ter onderbouwing van haar verzoek stelt EnBW in haar verzoekschrift dat het teken THE POWER PIONEERS niet beschrijvend is voor de waren en diensten waarvoor het is gedeponeerd, althans (begrijpt het hof) voor een (groot) aantal van die waren en diensten als nader aangegeven in bijlage 9 bij haar akteverzoek. 3. In artikel 2:11 BVIE is bepaald: 1. het Bureau weigert een merk in te schrijven indien naar zijn oordeel: (…) b. het merk elk onderscheidend vermogen mist c. het merk uitsluitend bestaat uit tekens of benamingen die in de handel kunnen dienen tot aanduiding van soort, hoedanigheid, hoeveelheid, bestemming, waarde, plaats van herkomst of het tijdstip van vervaardiging van de waren of verrichting van de dienst of andere kenmerken van de waren of de diensten; (…). 4. Onder meer in zijn arresten van 4 mei 1999, NJ 2000, 269 (inzake Chiemsee) en 12 februari 2004, NJ 2006, 532 (inzake Postkantoor) heeft het HvJ EG gewezen op het algemeen belang bij vrijhouding van bepaalde tekens. In laatstgenoemd arrest heeft het hof onder meer overwogen: “53. (…) dat volgens artikel 3, lid 1 sub c, van de richtlijn de inschrijving wordt geweigerd van merken die uitsluitend bestaan uit tekens of benamingen die in de handel kunnen dienen tot aanduiding van de kenmerken van de waren of diensten waarvoor deze inschrijving wordt aangevraagd. 54. zoals het hof reeds heeft verklaard (…) streeft artikel 3, lid 1, sub c van de richtlijn een doel van algemeen belang na, volgens hetwelk dergelijke tekens of benamingen door eenieder ongestoord moeten kunnen worden gebruikt. deze bepaling belet derhalve dat die tekens of benamingen op grond van hun inschrijving als merk aan een enkele onderneming worden voorbehouden. 55. dit algemeen belang impliceert immers dat alle tekens of benamingen die kunnen dienen tot aanduiding van de kenmerken van de waren of diensten waarvoor de inschrijving wordt aangevraagd, voor alle ondernemingen vrij beschikbaar blijven zodat zij deze tekens en benamingen kunnen gebruiken om dezelfde kenmerken van hun eigen waren te beschrijven. merken die uitsluitend bestaan uit dergelijke tekens of benamingen kunnen dus niet worden ingeschreven (…). (…) 57. het is irrelevant dat er andere tekens of benamingen bestaan die gebruikelijker zijn dan die waaruit het merk bestaat, om dezelfde kenmerken van de in de inschrijvings-aanvraag vermelde waren of diensten aan te duiden. (…) 58. Evenmin is het doorslaggevend of een groot dan wel een klein aantal concurrenten belang kan hebben bij gebruik van de tekens of benamingen waaruit het merk bestaat.. elke marktdeelnemer die thans waren of diensten aanbiedt die concurreren met die waarvoor de inschrijving is aangevraagd, alsmede elke marktdeelnemer die dit in de toekomst zou kunnen doen, moet ongestoord gebruik kunnen maken van de tekens of benamingen die kunnen dienen om de kenmerken van deze waren of diensten te beschrijven. 97. Het is voorts niet noodzakelijk dat de in artikel 3, lid 1, sub c, van de richtlijn bedoelde tekens of benamingen waaruit het merk is samengesteld, op het moment van de inschrijvingsaanvraag daadwerkelijk worden gebruikt voor de beschrijving van waren of diensten als die waarvoor de aanvraag is ingediend, of van de kenmerken van deze waren of deze diensten, zoals de formulering van deze bepaling aangeeft, is het voldoende dat deze tekens en benamingen hiertoe kunnen dienen. de inschrijving van een woord als merk moet dan ook op grond van deze bepaling worden geweigerd, indien het in minstens één van de potentiële betekenissen een kenmerk van de betrokken waren of diensten aanduidt (…). 98. over het algemeen is de enkele combinatie van bestanddelen die op zich beschrijvend zijn voor kenmerken van de waren of diensten waarvoor de inschrijving is aangevraagd, zelf nog steeds beschrijvend voor deze kenmerken in de zin van artikel 3, lid 1, sub c. van de richtlijn. het enkele aaneenschrijven van dergelijke bestanddelen, zonder daaraan een ongebruikelijke wending te geven in bijvoorbeeld syntactische of semantische zin, kan immers slechts leiden tot een merk dat uitsluitend bestaat uit tekens of benamingen die in de handel kunnen dienen tot aanduiding van kenmerken van deze waren of diensten. 99. het is evenwel mogelijk dat een dergelijke combinatie niet beschrijvend is in de zin van artikel 3, lid 1, sub c van de richtlijn, indien de door deze combinatie gewekte indruk ver genoeg verwijderd is van de indruk die uitgaat van de eenvoudige aaneenvoeging van die bestanddelen. in het geval van een woordmerk, dat bestemd is om zowel gehoord als gelezen te worden, zal aan die voorwaarde zowel voor de auditieve als voor de visuele indruk die door het merk wordt gewekt, moeten zijn voldaan. 100. een merk bestaande uit een woord waarvan elk bestanddeel beschrijvend is voor kenmerken van de waren of diensten waarvoor de inschrijving is aangevraagd, is derhalve zelf ook beschrijvend voor deze kenmerken in de zin van artikel 3, lid 1, sub c, van de richtlijn, tenzij het woord merkbaar verschilt van de loutere som van zijn bestanddelen. daarvoor moet het woord ofwel door de voor deze waren of diensten ongebruikelijke combinatie een indruk wekken die ver genoeg verwijderd is van de indruk die uitgaat van de eenvoudige aaneenvoeging van de door de bestanddelen gegeven aanwijzingen, zodat dit woord meer is dan de som der bestanddelen, ofwel moet het woord zijn gaan behoren tot het normale spraakgebruik en aldaar een eigen betekenis hebben gekregen, zodat het voortaan losstaat van zijn bestanddelen. in dit laatste geval dient dan te worden onderzocht of het woord dat een eigen betekenis heeft gekregen, niet zelf beschrijvend is in de zin van diezelfde bepaling.” . 5. Verder geldt in het algemeen dat de beoordeling van het onderscheidend vermogen van het teken dient plaats te vinden enerzijds in relatie tot de waren of diensten waarvoor het is ingeschreven en anderzijds in relatie tot de perceptie ervan door het relevante publiek. Het hof neemt aan, mede gelet op de grote hoeveelheid waren en diensten waarvoor het merk is gedeponeerd, de als productie 9 door het Bureau overgelegde stukken omtrent de werkzaamheden van EnBW en de omstandigheid dat partijen niet hebben gesteld dat het gaat om een specifiek publiek, dat het gaat om het grote publiek. Het gaat daarbij om de perceptie van de normaal geïnformeerde en redelijk omzichtige en oplettende gemiddelde consument. 6. Het teken THE POWER PIONEERS bestaat uit de aanduidingen THE, POWER en PIONEERS. De stelling van het Bureau dat THE als lidwoord geen onderscheidend vermogen heeft is niet bestreden. De aanduiding POWER is Engels voor ondermeer kracht, energie of vermogen en behoort inmiddels ook tot de Nederlandse taal. Het is beschrijvend voor waren en dienstverlening op het gebied van energie, kracht of vermogen. Dit wordt door EnBW erkend. Pioneers is het Engelse woord voor pioniers (en het Franse woord pionniers). Het woord pioniers heeft de betekenis van en zal door het relevante publiek worden opgevat als voortrekkers, baanbrekers, wegbereiders, meer in het algemeen als (rechts)personen of een onderneming die (voor het eerst) actief zijn op een bepaald gebied en dit verder ontwikkelen. Het Engelse woord Pioneers zal, door de gelijkenis in de verschillende talen, ook aldus worden opgevat door het Benelux-publiek.