Invalidity appeal · Board of Appeal · 2022-04-29
R0672/2021-3
Contested design: 005658507-0001
Outcome
The appeal is dismissed, and the design holder must bear the costs of the invalidity and appeal proceedings.
Show verbatim operative text(de)
1. Die Beschwerde wird zurückgewiesen. 2. Die Inhaberin trägt die Kosten des Nichtigkeits- und des Beschwerdeverfahrens.
CostsHolder ordered to pay costs
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
Out of the blue KGvia PDF extraction
Germany (DE)
Beim neuen Damm 28, 28865 Lilienthal, Deutschland
Represented by
Holder · RCD owner
MYDO GmbHvia PDF extraction
Germany (DE)
Osterfeldstraße 6, 22529 Hamburg, Deutschland
Prior art cited (3)
Green Maneki-neko figurine shown in a Diminuto Cielo Facebook post
facebook.com/diminutocieloshop/photos · Facebook · disclosed 2014-11-05
Yellow Maneki-neko figurine among multiple colour variants
Diminuto Cielo Facebook post · Facebook · disclosed 2015-02-28
Maneki-neko figurine shown on Instagram
Diminuto Cielo Instagram post · Instagram · disclosed 2015-03-10
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The design holder argued that the earlier social-media disclosures of beckoning-cat figurines were not sufficiently established, lacked full views, and differed in colour and surface from the contested design.
- ›The invalidity applicant maintained that the Diminuto Cielo Facebook and Instagram posts proved prior disclosure and that at least the yellow cat design D2 created the same overall impression as the contested RCD.
- ›The Board held that D2 had been made available to the public before the filing date and that the minor differences in finish, colour nuances and base details did not change the nearly identical overall impression of the figurines.
- ›The appeal was dismissed and the invalidation for lack of individual character was upheld.
Deciding panel
- ChairG. Humphreys
- RapporteurE. Fink
- MemberA. Pohlmann
- Registrarp.o. M. Chaleva
Decision files
| Language | Type | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| enEnglish (en) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| frfrançais (fr) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| deGerman | original | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
Similar decisions
Ranked by shared Locarno class + shared legal grounds + matching outcome. Click a case to view full detail.
| Case | Date | Outcome | Shared grounds | Locarno | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R0499/2023-3 | 2024-03-04 | Decision confirmed | Art 7(1) | — | 5 |
| R2422/2022-3 | 2024-01-30 | Decision confirmed | Art 7(1) | — | 5 |
| R0856/2022-3 | 2023-06-30 | Decision confirmed | Art 7(1) | — | 5 |
| R1562/2022-3 | 2023-05-31 | Decision confirmed | Art 7(1) | — | 5 |
| R1103/2022-3 | 2023-02-15 | Decision confirmed | Art 7(1) | — | 5 |
| R0676/2021-3 | 2022-11-14 | Decision confirmed | Art 7(1) | — | 5 |
| R0678/2021-3 | 2022-11-14 | Decision confirmed | Art 7(1) | — | 5 |
| R0679/2021-3 | 2022-11-14 | Decision confirmed | Art 7(1) | — | 5 |