Invalidity appeal · Board of Appeal · 2019-12-10
R0285/2019-3
Contested design: 003851252-0001
Outcome
The contested decision is annulled, the contested RCD is declared invalid, and the design holder is ordered to bear the invalidity applicant's costs in both the invalidity and appeal proceedings.
Show verbatim operative text
1. Annuls the contested decision; 2. Declares the invalidity of the contested RCD; 3. Orders that the design holder bears the costs and fees of the invalidity applicant in the invalidity and appeal proceedings.
CostsHolder ordered to pay costs
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
Tri Star Ltdvia PDF extraction
UA
Polevaya str. 5, Cherniakhovka village, Kirovograd region, Cherniakhovka, Ukraine
Represented by
Ionut Lupsa
Holder · RCD owner
Ionel-Alin Nitavia PDF extraction
Romania (RO)
Sos. Oltenitei 133, bl. 55, sc. 1, ap. 4, Bucharest, Romania
Represented by
Ruxandra Raluca Ardeleanu
Prior art cited (6)
image of packaging offered for sale on Polish website on 31/03/2013
http://gieldospozywcza.pl · Polish website gieldospozywcza.pl · disclosed 2013-03-31
promotional leaflet of food exhibition Hausmesse Monolith (September 2015, Germany) showing earlier packaging design
Hausmesse Monolith food fair, Germany · disclosed 2015-09-01
screenshots from invalidity applicant's website featuring fairs (Ukraine, France, Germany) in 2014 showing packaging
http://zolotoi-vek.ua · zolotoi-vek.ua website · disclosed 2014-01-01
printouts from VK dated 05/03/2015, 25/04/2014, 25/08/2014 showing packaging in trade
VK (Russian social media portal) · VK social media · disclosed 2014-04-25
Facebook posts dated 14 and 25 August 2014 and 25 November 2015 showing packaging
www.facebook.com · Facebook · disclosed 2014-08-14
screenshots of invalidity applicant's website archived 22 February 2016 showing clear images of earlier design
http://zolotoi-vek.ua via web.archive.org (WaybackMachine, 22 February 2016) · WaybackMachine / web.archive.org · disclosed 2016-02-22
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The invalidity applicant (Tri Star) appealed the Invalidity Division's rejection, arguing that the earlier halvah packaging design had been adequately disclosed through multiple cross-corroborating pieces of evidence (Polish website offer, German food fair promotional leaflet, Facebook posts, and website archive), and that the contested RCD lacked individual character relative to that earlier design.
- ›The design holder (Nita) did not file observations in reply to the grounds of appeal and made no submissions.
- ›The Board found the Invalidity Division erred by examining each piece of evidence in isolation; taking Annexes 1, 2 and 12 together (along with Exhibit 5 from the WaybackMachine), adequate disclosure before 11 April 2017 was established. The contested RCD reproduced the same rectangular two-part shape, identical three-colour pattern, similar text/figurative elements and peanut illustrations as the earlier design, producing an unmistakable 'déjà vu' impression.
- ›The appeal is upheld, the contested decision is annulled, and the RCD is declared invalid.
Deciding panel
- ChairTh. M. Margellos
- RapporteurC. Rusconi
- MemberH. Salmi
- RegistrarH. Dijkema
Decision files
| Language | Type | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| deDeutsch (de) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| esespañol (es) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| frfrançais (fr) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| ititaliano (it) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| enEnglish | original | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |