Invalidity appeal · Board of Appeal · 2023-02-21
R0290/2022-3
Contested design: 005301595-0001
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. Der GGM-Inhaber trägt die Kosten des Nichtigkeits- und des Beschwerdeverfahrens.
CostsHolder ordered to pay costs
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
TPP Thermoplastics Polska sp. z o.o.via PDF extraction
Poland (PL)
Unii Europejskiej 6, 86-050 Solec Kujawski, Polen
Represented by
Katarzyna Natalia Krupa-Lipińska
Holder · RCD owner
Jürgen Heckelsmüllervia PDF extraction
Germany (DE)
Ottobeurer Straße 15, 87784 Westerheim, Deutschland
Represented by
Reiner Helge
Prior art cited (1)
square grating / honeycomb-like ground grid shown in Facebook post of Kraków Aeroclub
Facebook page of the Kraków Aeroclub · disclosed 2012-09-12
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The design holder argued that the Facebook evidence did not reliably prove disclosure of the earlier grating and that the contested grid created a different overall impression from the alleged prior design.
- ›The invalidity applicant maintained that D1 had been publicly disclosed in 2012 and that the shared 5x5 chequered grating structure destroyed individual character.
- ›The Board accepted D1 as disclosed and found that the two designs shared the dominant visible features, while differences in side connectors, underside details and colour had only limited impact in normal use.
- ›The appeal was dismissed; D1 destroyed individual character and the holder was ordered to bear costs.
Deciding panel
- ChairG. Humphreys
- RapporteurA. Pohlmann
- MemberE. Fink
- RegistrarH. Dijkema
Decision files
| Language | Type | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| enEnglish | human translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| frFrench | human translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| deGerman | original | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
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