Invalidity · first instance · 2020-09-30
000107943
Contested design: 005650546-0004
Outcome
The invalidity application is rejected, and the applicant must bear the holder's costs fixed at EUR 400.
Show verbatim operative text
The application for a declaration of invalidity of registered Community design No 0056505460004 is rejected. The applicant bears the holder’s costs, fixed at EUR 400.
CostsApplicant ordered to pay costs of €400
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
Henkel AG & Co. KGaAvia PDF extraction
Germany (DE)
IP Department (CLI), Henkelstrasse 67, 40589 Düsseldorf, Germany
Represented by
Jörg Schmidt
Holder · RCD owner
Reckitt Benckiser Finish B.V.
Netherlands (NL)
Siriusdreef 14, 2132 WT Hoofddorp, Netherlands
Prior art cited (1)
dosage packaging for washing agents
RCD No 0036197170010 · Community Designs Bulletin · disclosed 2019-05-07
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The applicant sought invalidity under Article 25(1)(d), arguing the contested washing-agent capsule created the same overall impression as its earlier RCD and that colours and the dotted outer contour should be disregarded.
- ›The holder argued designer freedom was constrained by capsule-manufacturing limits, the earlier design without the dotted contour did not show the same single compact product, and the contested design looked materially different.
- ›The Division found the prior RCD qualified under Article 25(1)(d) and compared the designs under Article 10, disregarding the prior design's disclaimed circular contour and the contested design's colour/detail features.
- ›The Division held that differences in compartment shapes, compact circular overall shape and profile outweighed the shared central compartment and rotational arrangement, so the contested design produced a different overall impression and the application failed.
Deciding panel
- MemberNatascha GALPERIN
- MemberLudmila ČELIŠOVÁ
- MemberBenjamin VAN BAVEL
Decision files
| Language | Type | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| 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 ↗ |
Locarno classes
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