22111 Lloyd Schuhfabrik Meyer & Co GmbH v Klijsen Handel BV

European Court of Justice (P Kapteyn (Acting President), J Puissochet, P Jann (Presidents of Chambers), G Mancini, J Moitinho de Almeida, C Gulmann (Rapporteur), D Edward, L Sevón, M Wathelet (Judges) and F Jacobs (Advocate General), 22June 1999) First Council Directive 89/104/EEC, Art 5(1)(b) – LLOYD versus LOINT’S for shoes – aural similarity – whether sufficient to demonstrate a likelihood of confusion – criteria for assessing likelihood – significance of including likelihood of association within likelihood of confusion – effect of earlier mark being highly distinctive – absence of descriptive elements – distinctiveness cannot be determined by percentage recognition – global assessment (Case C-342/97)

Jürgen Kroher for the plaintiff; Wolfgang Rehmann for the defendant; Bernard Drijber and Bertrand Wägenbauer for the Commission of the European Communities.