Invalidity · first instance · 2019-02-20
000010933
Contested design: 002621904-0001
Outcome
The invalidity application is rejected, and the applicant must bear the holder's costs fixed at EUR 400.
Show verbatim operative text
1. The application for a declaration of invalidity of registered Community design No 002621904-0001 is rejected. 2. The applicant bears the holder’s costs, fixed at EUR 400.
CostsApplicant ordered to pay costs of €400
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
IP-Agency Finland Oy
Finland (FI)
Honkanummentie 2, 01260 Vantaa, Finland
Represented by
Holder · RCD owner
Fatboy the Original B.V.
Netherlands (NL)
De Steenbok 19-21, 5215 MG ’s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Represented by
Prior art cited (4)
patent drawings showing a closure mechanism for an inflatable lounger or bag
EP 0 810 950 B1 · European patent publication · disclosed 2001-04-25
inflatable lounger shown on a Walmart webpage archived by the Internet Archive
www.walmart.com · Internet Archive Wayback Machine · disclosed 2014-10-07
‘Abilitations Inflatable Green Pea Pod Child Calming Station’
www.amazon.com · Amazon · disclosed 2014-01-12
inflatable calming station shown on the Fun and Function website
www.funandfunction.com · Fun and Function · disclosed 2014-04-11
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The applicant sought invalidity for lack of novelty and individual character and argued that the design's key features were solely dictated by technical function.
- ›The holder replied that the lounger reflected real aesthetic choices, that alternative designs existed, and that the cited patent and web disclosures created different overall impressions.
- ›The Division accepted D1-D4 as prior disclosures but found no convincing evidence that the contested design's essential features were solely technically dictated.
- ›It also found the cited designs were neither identical nor capable of producing the same overall impression, so the RCD retained novelty and individual character.
Deciding panel
- MemberLudmila ČELISOVA
- MemberBenjamin VAN BAVEL
- MemberBirgit FILTENBORG
Decision files
| Language | Type | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| enEnglish | original | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
Locarno classes
Similar decisions
Ranked by shared Locarno class + shared legal grounds + matching outcome. Click a case to view full detail.
| Case | Date | Outcome | Shared grounds | Locarno | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 000107779 vs ANJI WEIYU FURNITURE CO., LTD. | 2020-04-03 | Invalidity application rejected | Art 25(1)(b) | 06 | 8 |
| 000105800 vs Next Retail Limited | 2020-04-02 | Invalidity application rejected | Art 25(1)(b) | 06 | 8 |
| 000108302 vs INTER LINK SAS | 2020-01-20 | Invalidity application rejected | Art 25(1)(b) | 06 | 8 |
| 000101539 vs Soma Group d.o.o. | 2019-07-05 | Invalidity application rejected | Art 25(1)(b) | 06 | 8 |
| 000101480 vs Soma Group d.o.o. | 2019-07-05 | Invalidity application rejected | Art 25(1)(b) | 06 | 8 |
| 000101520 vs Soma Group d.o.o. | 2019-07-05 | Invalidity application rejected | Art 25(1)(b) | 06 | 8 |
| 000102339 vs Syzan Sp. z o.o. | 2019-04-25 | Invalidity application rejected | Art 25(1)(b) | 06 | 8 |
| 000102859 vs Syzan Sp. z o.o. | 2019-04-25 | Invalidity application rejected | Art 25(1)(b) | 06 | 8 |