Invalidity appeal · Board of Appeal · 2025-07-14
R0115/2025-3
Contested design: 001092258-0001
Outcome
The appeal is dismissed, and the invalidity applicant is ordered to bear the holder's costs in the invalidity and appeal proceedings.
Show verbatim operative text(it)
Respinge il ricorso. Ordina alla richiedente la nullità di sopportare le spese sostenute dalla titolare del DUE contestato nei procedimenti di nullità e di ricorso.
CostsApplicant ordered to pay costs
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
HSM Schuhmarketing GmbHvia PDF extraction
Germany (DE)
Werksstr. 15, 45527 Hattingen, Germania
Represented by
Holder · RCD owner
Crocs, Inc.via PDF extraction
United States (US)
500 Eldorado Boulevard, Building 5, Broomfield Colorado 80021, USA
Represented by
Prior art cited (4)
Amazon offer for Crocs Kids's Crocband Clog
ASIN B004JKMQK4 · Amazon.com · disclosed 2004-09-14
Amazon offer for Crocs Kids's Crocband Clog
ASIN B004JKMQK4 · Amazon.ca · disclosed 2004-09-14
Amazon offer for Crocs Crocband unisex Erwachsene Clogs
ASIN B00LA1SKLE · Amazon.de · disclosed 2007-11-30
Amazon offer for Crocs Crocband unisex Kids' Clogs
ASIN B004JKMQK4 · Amazon.co.uk · disclosed 2008-10-01
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The invalidity applicant appealed, arguing D1-D4 reliably disclosed identical prior Crocband clogs and that numerous earlier designs also destroyed individual character.
- ›The holder replied that Amazon dates were unreliable, its evidence showed Crocband launched only in August 2009, and the Article 6 claim lacked concrete identification of relevant earlier designs.
- ›The Board admitted both sides' new appeal evidence, but held the Article 6 ground failed because the application never clearly identified which listed earlier designs were relied on.
- ›Assuming D1-D4 had been disclosed, the Board found visible differences such as rear straps, colour bands, and decorative details, so the contested design remained new and the appeal was dismissed.
Deciding panel
- ChairG. Humphreys Bacon
- RapporteurS. Rizzo
- MemberC. Negro
- RegistrarK. Zajfert
Decision files
| Language | Type | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| enEnglish (en) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| esespañol (es) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| frfrançais (fr) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| itItalian | original | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
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