Invalidity · first instance · 2022-02-07
000114644
Contested design: 005134988-0001
Outcome
The invalidity application is upheld; Registered Community design No 005134988-0001 is declared invalid; the holder must bear costs fixed at EUR 750.
Show verbatim operative text(it)
1. La domanda di dichiarazione di nullità è accolta. 2. Il disegno o modello comunitario registrato n. 005134988-0001 è dichiarato nullo. 3. Il titolare sopporta l’onere delle spese, fissate a 750 EUR.
CostsHolder ordered to pay costs of €750
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
TotalEnergies SEvia PDF extraction
France (FR)
2 place Jean Millier, La Défense 6, 92400 Courbevoie, Francia
Represented by
Holder · RCD owner
S.I.RA.L. S.p.A.
Italy (IT)
Via Boscofangone Zona Industriale Asi Frazione Nola-Marigliano, 80035 Nola (Na), Italia
Represented by
Prior art cited (1)
jerry can
French design No 00082262-0001 · French Designs Bulletin · disclosed 2008-07-25
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›Applicant sought invalidity for lack of novelty and individual character, relying mainly on earlier French design D1 and supporting catalog evidence showing the same container shape.
- ›Holder argued the similarities reflected sector best practice and technical constraints, that the label removed confusion, and that the dispute had lost purpose after its sublicence ended.
- ›The Division held the case still had purpose, accepted publication of the French design as disclosure under Article 7(1), and found only functional limits on designer freedom.
- ›Comparing D1 with the contested RCD, the Division found the same overall shape, proportions, shark-fin handle, and grooves; the differences were minor and did not alter the overall impression.
Deciding panel
- MemberMichele M BENEDETTI - ALOISI
- MemberElisabetta FERRARO
- MemberEnrico D’ERRICO
Decision files
| Language | Type | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| enEnglish (en) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| itItalian | original | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
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