Decisions · EUIPO RCD invalidity, 2018–2026
Decision analytics
Computed live from 4,669 decisions matching your filter. Source: LLM-extracted from EUIPO PDFs (4,607 of 4,665 covered). Invalidation rate uses the merits-only denominator (excludes discontinued / inadmissible / restitutio).
Decision volume by year
Invalidity Division vs Board of Appeal. 2026 is partial.
Invalidation rate by year
Merits-only denominator. Excludes discontinued / inadmissible / restitutio.
Outcome distribution
Full controlled vocabulary (11 codes) from the LLM extraction, not the simplified API winner enum.
| Invalidated (total) | 2,353 | |
| Application rejected (holder wins) | 1,043 | |
| Appeal dismissed | 610 | |
| Discontinued / withdrawn | 245 | |
| Appeal upheld (reversal) | 170 | |
| Application inadmissible | 86 | |
| Appeal inadmissible | 64 | |
| Restitutio refused | 58 | |
| Other | 32 | |
| Appeal partially upheld | 7 | |
| Invalidated (partial) | 1 |
Top legal grounds invoked
PDF-granular norms — Article 25(1)(b) splits into Art 6/7 individual-character + novelty when both are argued.
Top representatives — applicant side
Full leaderboard →Ordered by win rate (desc), then case count. Min 5 cases. Firm names normalized.
| Firm | Cases | Invalidated | Rejected | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpmaels & Ransford LLP | 23 | 23 | 0 | 100% |
| KBZ Żuradzki Barczyk & Wspólnicy Adwokaci i Radcy Prawni Sp. k. | 22 | 22 | 0 | 100% |
| ars Privilegium, S.L. | 17 | 17 | 0 | 100% |
| Lunati & Mazzoni S.r.l. | 13 | 13 | 0 | 100% |
| Isern Patentes y Marcas, S.L. | 11 | 11 | 0 | 100% |
| Gimeno Patentes y Marcas, S. L. | 10 | 10 | 0 | 100% |
| Lichtnecker & Lichtnecker | 10 | 10 | 0 | 100% |
| Frisch & Partners Srl | 9 | 9 | 0 | 100% |
| KMVS, Advokátní Kancelář, s.r.o. | 9 | 9 | 0 | 100% |
| Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek Stuttgart | 9 | 9 | 0 | 100% |
| Cabinet @Mark | 9 | 9 | 0 | 100% |
| Arcade & Asociados | 8 | 8 | 0 | 100% |
Top representatives — holder side
Full leaderboard →Win = invalidity application rejected (the design survived).
| Firm | Cases | Defended | Lost (invalidated) | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meissner Bolte Patentanwälte Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaft mbB | 11 | 11 | 0 | 100% |
| Gesswein-Spiesberger Traxler Rechtsanwälte GmbH & Co KG | 9 | 9 | 0 | 100% |
| Bonsmann · Bonsmann · Frank | 8 | 8 | 0 | 100% |
| Bardehle Pagenberg Partnerschaft mbB Patentanwälte, Rechtsanwälte | 7 | 7 | 0 | 100% |
| LHR Rechtsanwälte Lampmann, Haberkamm Rosenbaum & Partner mbB | 7 | 7 | 0 | 100% |
| Biuro Patentowe Hanna Borawska | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% |
| Algemeen Octrooi- en Merkenbureau B.V. | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% |
| Studio Legale Bugnion S.p.a. | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% |
| Reckitt Benckiser Health Limited, Legal Department - Patents Group | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% |
| Brunacci & Partners s.r.l | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% |
| Fish & Richardson P.C. | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% |
| Heumann Rechts- und Patentanwaelte | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% |
Prior-art type intelligence
Full intelligence →What types of prior art actually kill RCDs? Web disclosure is the dominant killer — and the EUIPO API never surfaces it. Decision-level counts.
| Prior-art type | Decisions | In invalidations | Kill rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| ●Web disclosure | 1,822 | 1,311 | 72% |
| Registered RCD | 850 | 487 | 58% |
| National design | 418 | 223 | 53% |
| Catalog | 349 | 186 | 53% |
| Patent | 276 | 134 | 49% |
| Prior use | 227 | 86 | 38% |
| Publication | 166 | 74 | 45% |
| Trade mark | 153 | 100 | 65% |
| Other | 136 | 50 | 37% |
| International design | 83 | 52 | 63% |
| Utility model | 57 | 25 | 44% |
| Unregistered CD | 23 | 14 | 61% |
Top rapporteurs (Board of Appeal)
Full leaderboard →Named decision-leads on BoA panels. Concentrated — 5 individuals drive most cases.
| E. Fink | 193 cases | |
| C. Bartos | 189 cases | |
| H. Salmi | 136 cases | |
| C. Negro | 113 cases | |
| S. Rizzo | 104 cases | |
| C. Rusconi | 99 cases | |
| A. Szanyi Felkl | 90 cases | |
| A. Pohlmann | 69 cases | |
| M. Bra | 57 cases | |
| G. Humphreys | 17 cases |
Top applicant countries
Where invalidity challengers come from.
| DE — Germany | 924 cases | |
| CN — China | 746 cases | |
| PL — Poland | 430 cases | |
| IT — Italy | 309 cases | |
| ES — Spain | 300 cases | |
| FR — France | 228 cases | |
| US — United States | 214 cases | |
| DK — Denmark | 147 cases | |
| GB — United Kingdom | 132 cases | |
| NL — Netherlands | 119 cases | |
| RO — Romania | 116 cases | |
| AT — Austria | 96 cases |