Invalidity appeal · Board of Appeal · 2020-05-19
R1950/2019-3
Contested design: 001835208-0001
Outcome
The appeal is dismissed; the holder is ordered to bear the costs incurred by the invalidity applicant.
Show verbatim operative text(it)
1. Il ricorso è respinto; 2. La titolare dovrà sopportare le spese sostenute dalla richiedente.
CostsHolder ordered to pay costs
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
Hair Tools Limitedvia PDF extraction
United Kingdom (GB)
Head Jog House - Netherfield Road, Ravensthorpe, WF13 3JY, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, Regno Unito
Represented by
Holder · RCD owner
ELCHIM S.p.A.via PDF extraction
Italy (IT)
Via del Tecchione, 4, 20098 San Giuliano Milanese (MI), Italia
Represented by
Prior art cited (1)
Asciugacapelli (hair dryer), class 28.03, published 17 April 2007 in Community Designs Bulletin
RCD No 685 250-0001 · Community Designs Bulletin 2011/065 · disclosed 2007-04-17
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The design holder (appellant) argued the contested RCD has a concentrator/nozzle that is unique, a distinctively pinched body with longitudinal concavity creating two parallel ridges, characteristic raised grip dots, a sinuous handle cover, and different proportions — all producing a different overall impression from the prior art hair dryer D1.
- ›The invalidity applicant filed no observations in reply.
- ›The Board confirmed that the informed user is a general hair dryer user (not a professional hairdresser); designer freedom for hair dryers is relatively broad though not unlimited; the concentrator/nozzle and power cable are accessory/technical elements with limited impact on overall impression.
- ›The fundamental structure (same cylindrical body with wider section at the handle junction, same pistol shape, same position of oval bumper and rectangular buttons) creates the same overall impression; differences are too minor and not sufficiently marked.
- ›Appeal dismissed: the contested RCD lacks individual character over RCD No 685 250-0001.
Deciding panel
- ChairTh. M. Margellos
- RapporteurC. Negro
- MemberM. Bra
- Registrarp.o. R. Vidal
Decision files
| Language | Type | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| enEnglish (en) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| esespañol (es) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| frfrançais (fr) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| itItalian | original | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |