Tesco verliest zaak tegen Lidl over gebruik gele cirkel (VK)

UK High Court 19 april 2023, IEF 21955; (Lidl tegen Tesco). Lidl heeft een rechtszaak aangespannen tegen Tesco voor het schenden van zijn handelsmerk en auteursrecht door het gebruik van gele stickers met blauwe achtergrond. Lidl stelt dat Tesco de branding heeft gekopieerd om zo mee te kunnen liften op zijn ‘goede reputatie’. Het gaat om het gebruik van de “Clubcard”-cirkels voor producten die afgeprijsd zijn. Deze staan naast het reguliere prijsetiket en zouden, volgens Lidl, kunnen leiden tot verwarring bij de consument. 

Het Hooggerechtshof te Londen bevestigt dat Tesco inbreuk maakt op het merk van Lidl. Het gebruik zou leiden tot ongerechtvaardigd voordeel trekken uit de reputatie van Lidl. Het verweer van Tesco dat sprake is van een geldige reden houdt hierdoor geen stand. Bij de vraag of sprake is van verwarringsgevaar is het koopgedrag van de consument relevant. Zo zou gekeken moeten worden of ze de gewoonte hebben om het etiket op een artikel te lezen voordat ze het voor aankoop selecteren, of dat ze eenvoudigweg afgaan op het uiterlijk van het artikel. In onderhavig geval zouden consumenten kunnen denken dat de Clubcard-prijzen refereren naar de concurrent en dus lager zijn dan bij Lidl, aldus het Hof. Verder oordeelt het Hof dat, anders dan Lidl stelt, van auteursrechtinbreuk geen sprake is.

107. However, I do not attach a great deal of significance to this later H&P report. First, I note that I am concerned with Tesco’s use of the CCP Signs as at the launch date in September 2020 – I am not much assisted by considering data collected several months later, by which time, as Tesco submitted in opening submissions “familiarity with the scheme [had] ramped up…swiftly…”. The second H&P report itself records that identified “uplifts”11 from its earlier results “may be because consumers are becoming more used to the proposition and have had more time to understand it”. The fact that Tesco may have deluged the market with advertising in the form of the CCP Signs (connected with a very strong brand in the form of Clubcard) thereby leading to a strong association with the Tesco brand within a few months does not support the proposition that there could be no link with the Mark with Text as at the launch date.

118. In closing, Tesco suggested that I should attach no weight to Mr Paulson’s final answer in light of the rather more equivocal responses that he had previously given. However, as I have said, I formed the view that Mr Paulson was plainly honest and I consider that he was endeavouring to answer my questions as accurately as possible. I accept his evidence that he not only saw a link between the CCP Signs and the Mark with Text, but he also understood that link to reference Lidl’s low prices and to hint that Tesco’s prices were as low as Lidl’s prices. Mr Paulson’s response to my question was entirely consistent with his statement. Importantly, it was clear from his written evidence that Mr Paulson was not in any way disabused by the reference to a “Clubcard” price, his understanding being that “on the products that have been given a “Clubcard” price, the prices you can get for those products is the same or perhaps a bit better than the prices at Lidl”.

176. In my judgment, the CCP Signs were plainly intended (amongst other things) to convey value and thereby to influence the economic behaviour of supermarket shoppers, notwithstanding that I have found no specific intention to free-ride on Lidl’s reputation. I agree with Lidl that, just as occurred in Jack Wills, the effect of the use of the CCP Signs was to cause a “subtle but insidious” transfer of image from the Mark with Text to the CCP Signs in the minds of some consumers. This will have assisted Tesco to increase the attraction of their prices. The H&P report from November 2020 identified that the Clubcard Prices campaign had produced an increase in value perception of 6% in total and 9% among families; H&P observed that “[t]he campaign persuaded current Clubcard holders to use their cards and encouraging (sic) those without a Clubcard to sign up”.