Invalidity appeal · Board of Appeal · 2022-12-09
R1589/2021-3
Contested design: 002684043-0002
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
Anne Germannvia PDF extraction
Germany (DE)
Düsseldorf, Germany
Holder · RCD owner
SunPower Corporationvia PDF extraction
United States (US)
San Jose, California, United States
Represented by
Prior art cited (4)
solar panels
RCD 2032581-0005 · Office Bulletin · disclosed 2012-05-07
solar panels
RCD 34350-0001
solar panels
RCD 1386056-0001
solar panels
RCD 1955030-0002
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The invalidity applicant argued that the solar-panel design was technically dictated and, in any event, lacked novelty and individual character over earlier RCDs, especially D1.
- ›The design holder replied that the horizontal light lines, dark back sheet and reflective surface gave the panel a distinctive and not purely functional appearance.
- ›The Board held that D1 destroyed individual character because the common rectangular panel, six-column arrangement and dark framing elements dominated over the minor differences.
- ›The appeal was dismissed and costs were awarded against the design holder.
Deciding panel
- ChairG. Humphreys
- RapporteurC. Bartos
- MemberS. Rizzo
- RegistrarH. Dijkema
Decision files
| Language | Type | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| frFrench | human translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| deDeutsch (de) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| esespañol (es) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| ititaliano (it) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| enEnglish | original | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
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