Invalidity appeal · Board of Appeal · 2022-08-31
R1688/2021-3
Contested design: 008247332-0001
Outcome
The appeal is dismissed and the invalidity applicant must bear the costs of the invalidity and appeal proceedings incurred by the design holder.
Show verbatim operative text
1. Dismisses the appeal; 2. Orders the appellant to bear the costs of the invalidity and appeal proceedings incurred by the defendant.
CostsApplicant ordered to pay costs
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
Antonio Puig, S.A.via PDF extraction
Spain (ES)
Plaza Europa, 46-48, 08902 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
Represented by
Holder · RCD owner
Zou Chunliangvia PDF extraction
China (CN)
BLDG21 2T-502, Yunshan County, Congyun Road, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
Represented by
Isabelle Bertaux
Prior art cited (4)
perfume bottle / male torso bottle
International Design No 4 of Registration No DM/035072 · international design publication · disclosed 1996-02-29
bottle
French design No 942417-001 · French design register · disclosed 1997-05-02
bottle
French design No 942417-002 · French design register · disclosed 1997-05-02
male torso perfume bottle sign
French 3D trade mark No 95 587 225 · French trade mark register · disclosed 1995-10-13
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The invalidity applicant relied on three earlier perfume-bottle designs and an earlier French three-dimensional trade mark, arguing that the contested male-torso bottle lacked individual character and created trade mark confusion.
- ›The design holder argued that the contested bottle had its own overall appearance and did not make use of the earlier sign in a way that would cause confusion.
- ›The Board held that the contested perfume bottle retained individual character over the invoked earlier designs and that the earlier trade mark and contested bottle were only similar to a low degree, excluding any likelihood of confusion.
- ›The appeal was dismissed and costs were awarded against the invalidity applicant.
Deciding panel
- ChairG. Humphreys
- RapporteurC. Bartos
- MemberE. Fink
- 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 ↗ |
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