Invalidity · first instance · 2019-03-26
000010109
Contested design: 000650627-0003
Outcome
The invalidity application is upheld, the contested Community design is declared invalid, and the holder must bear the applicant's costs fixed at EUR 750.
Show verbatim operative text(es)
Se estima la solicitud de declaración de nulidad. Se declara nulo el dibujo o modelo comunitario registrado nº 0006506270003. Se condena al titular a que sufrague las costas del solicitante, que se fijan en 750 EUR.
CostsHolder ordered to pay costs of €750
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
Napkings S.L.via PDF extraction
Spain (ES)
C/ Virgen de los Reyes, 30, 28027 Madrid, España
Represented by
José Manuel Otero Lastres
Holder · RCD owner
Marcos Guasch Pubill
Spain (ES)
Dr Francisco Darder nº 1, Casa 3, 08034 Barcelona, España
Represented by
Prior art cited (2)
Spanish process patent invoked as prior disclosure for a napkin design
ES2089897-5 · OEPM certification and patent documents
book illustration on page 3 showing a square napkin design with a perimeter frame
The Classics of Magic by Tom Osborne, Napkings Folding (Volume II) · copyright 1945 book publication, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The applicant claimed the contested square textile design lacked novelty and individual character over a Spanish patent disclosure and a 1945 magic book illustration, and also alleged purely technical features.
- ›The holder argued res judicata based on prior Spanish court litigation, disputed both prior-art comparisons, and said the dotted inner border was decorative rather than technically necessary.
- ›The Division rejected the res judicata objection because the Office case included new grounds and prior art not finally assessed in the Spanish proceedings.
- ›It assessed the 1945 book design first and found that both designs created the same overall impression of a square napkin with a perimeter frame, despite stitching versus printed decoration.
- ›The application was upheld on lack of individual character, the RCD was declared invalid, and the holder was ordered to pay EUR 750 in costs.
Deciding panel
- MemberLudmila Čelišová
- MemberAlvaro Sesma
- MemberIngeborg Mendieta
Decision files
| Language | Type | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| enEnglish (en) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| esSpanish | original | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
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