Invalidity · first instance · 2018-12-19
000102464
Contested design: 003851252-0007
Outcome
The invalidity application is rejected and the applicant bears the holder's costs fixed at EUR 400.
Show verbatim operative text
The application for a declaration of invalidity of registered Community design No 003851252-0007 is rejected. The applicant bears the holder's costs, fixed at EUR 400.
CostsApplicant ordered to pay costs of €400
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
Tri Star Ltd
UA
Polevaya str. 5, Cherniakhovka village, Kirovograd region, Cherniakhovka, Ukraine
Holder · RCD owner
Ionel-Alin Nitavia PDF extraction
Romania (RO)
Sos. Oltenitei, 133, bl.55 sc. 1, ap. 4, Bucuresti, Romania
Represented by
Ruxandra Raluca Ardeleanu
Prior art cited (4)
packaging products (confectionery)
gieldaspozywcza.pl · gieldaspozywcza.pl · disclosed 2013-03-31
packaging products exhibited at international fairs and exhibitions (Kirovograd, Pokrovskyy, Rosengarten)
Various websites / exhibitions 16/08/2014–05/10/2015
applicant's packaging as used in trade
vk.com · VK (Russian social media portal) · disclosed 2014-04-25
applicant's packaging
facebook.com · Facebook · disclosed 2015-11-25
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›Applicant Tri Star Ltd claimed prior disclosure of the contested confectionery packaging design since 2013 through trade fairs, exhibitions, a Polish website, and social media (VK and Facebook); it also alleged bad faith registration by the holder.
- ›Holder submitted no observations in reply.
- ›The Division dismissed the bad faith argument as inadmissible; it found all evidence of prior disclosure insufficient — images were blurred, too small or partly covered, dates were unverified or self-reported, and social media posts were unreliable without corroboration (contested design did not even appear in the Facebook post).
- ›Application rejected: no valid prior disclosure proved under Article 7(1) CDR; novelty and individual character were not assessed.
Deciding panel
- MemberBenjamin VAN BAVEL
- MemberGailė SAKALAITĖ
- MemberLudmila ČELIŠOVÁ
Decision files
| Language | Type | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| enEnglish | original | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
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