Invalidity appeal · Board of Appeal · 2026-04-28
R1393/2025-3
Contested design: 004731347-0004
Outcome
The Board annulled the contested decision, remitted the case to the Invalidity Division for further prosecution on D3, and ordered each party to bear its own appeal costs and fees.
Show verbatim operative text
1. Annuls the contested decision. 2. Remits the case to the Invalidity Division for further prosecution. 3. Orders each party to bear its own costs and fees incurred in the appeal proceedings.
CostsEach party bears its own costs
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
Airtechnic - Chatzoudis Etaireia Periorismenis Euthynisvia PDF extraction
GR
Athens, Greece
Represented by
Holder · RCD owner
D. Ellinas Factory Products Ltdvia PDF extraction
CY
Limassol, Cyprus
Represented by
Konstantina Diola
Prior art cited (3)
inspection hole / access panel shown in the design holder's 'P.V.C. products 2015' catalogue
design holder's 'P.V.C. products 2015' catalogue
inspection hole / access panel shown in the 'KNAUF Drywall Systems' catalogue
KNAUF Drywall Systems catalogue
inspection hole / access panel shown in the EUROFIRST leaflet and archived webpage
http://www.eurofirst.pt · Internet Archive Wayback Machine / eurofirst.pt · disclosed 2016-02-14
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The invalidity applicant appealed the rejection, arguing the contested inspection-hole design lacked novelty over D1, lacked individual character over D2 and D3, and was solely dictated by technical function.
- ›The design holder disputed disclosure and authenticity of the prior-art evidence, maintained the design remained new and distinctive, and argued its appearance was not exclusively functional.
- ›The Board agreed with the Invalidity Division that the Article 8(1) attack failed and that D1 and D2 did not invalidate the contested design, but it admitted additional appeal-stage evidence for D3.
- ›The Board found disclosure of D3 proven, annulled the contested decision, and remitted the case because individual character over D3 had not yet been examined at first instance.
Deciding panel
- ChairG. Humphreys Bacon
- RapporteurC. Bartos
- MemberA. Pohlmann
- RegistrarK. Zajfert
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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