Invalidity · first instance · 2019-02-14
000103521
Contested design: 004361376-0001
Outcome
The invalidity application is upheld, the contested RCD is declared invalid, and the holder must pay EUR 750 in costs.
Show verbatim operative text
The application for a declaration of invalidity is upheld. Registered Community design No 0043613760001 is declared invalid. The holder bears the applicant’s costs, fixed at EUR 750.
CostsHolder ordered to pay costs of €750
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
WowWee Group Limitvia PDF extraction
Hong Kong (HK)
Energy Plaza, Unit 301-C, 92 Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China
Represented by
Holder · RCD owner
Shaogang Wang
China (CN)
Room 403, No.22, Lane 491, Chezhanbei RD, HongKou District, Shanghai, People´s Republic of China
Represented by
Prior art cited (1)
Earlier monkey toy design marketed as 'fingerlings' and compared with the contested design.
London trade show, supported by Twitter and trade-press/blog evidence · disclosed 2017-01-25
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The applicant sought invalidity for lack of novelty and individual character, relying on earlier Fingerlings monkey toy designs disclosed before the contested RCD filing date.
- ›The holder filed no observations and did not rebut the applicant's witness statements, online posts, press articles, videos, and shipment evidence.
- ›The Division found the evidence sufficient to prove prior disclosure under Article 7, but held the compared designs were not identical because some differences were not immaterial.
- ›Given broad design freedom for monkey toys, the shared features created the same overall impression on the informed user, so the RCD lacked individual character and was invalidated.
Deciding panel
- MemberIngeborg MENDIETA VETTER
- MemberAlvaro SESMA MERINO
- MemberNatascha GALPERIN
Decision files
| Language | Type | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| enEnglish | original | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
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