Invalidity appeal · Board of Appeal · 2022-04-25
R1396/2021-3
Contested design: 002246694-0001
Outcome
The appeal is dismissed, and the design holder must bear the invalidity applicant's costs in the invalidity and appeal proceedings.
Show verbatim operative text
1. Dismisses the appeal; 2. Orders the design holder to bear the costs incurred by the invalidity applicant in the invalidity and appeal proceedings.
CostsHolder ordered to pay costs
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
Heco Nordiska Aktiebolagvia PDF extraction
Sweden (SE)
Rocknevägen 16, 33573 Hillerstorp, Sweden
Represented by
Holder · RCD owner
Troldtekt A/Svia PDF extraction
Denmark (DK)
Sletvej 2A, 8310 Tranbjerg J., Denmark
Represented by
Prior art cited (1)
Earlier screw design with branching pattern on the screw head
Ejot DDS screw · Ejot product catalogue 'ETICS Anchors' · disclosed 2011-06-01
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The design holder appealed, disputing that the earlier Ejot DDS screw had been sufficiently disclosed before the filing date and arguing that material, colour and pattern differences gave the contested screw a different overall impression.
- ›The invalidity applicant maintained that the only visible part during normal use was the screw head and that the earlier DDS screw head showed the same characteristic raised branching pattern.
- ›The Board found the earlier design sufficiently disclosed through catalogues and product sheets and held that the slight differences in colour, material and head contour did not outweigh the strong similarity in the screw-head pattern.
- ›The appeal was dismissed and the first-instance invalidation for lack of individual character was confirmed.
Deciding panel
- ChairG. Humphreys
- RapporteurA. Pohlmann
- MemberE. Fink
- Registrarp.o. R. Vidal
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 ↗ |
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