Invalidity · first instance · 2022-05-10
000117090
Contested design: 006620837-0001
Outcome
The invalidity application is upheld, the contested RCD is declared invalid, and the holder must pay fixed costs of EUR 750.
Show verbatim operative text
1. The application for a declaration of invalidity is upheld. 2. Registered Community design No 006620837-0001 is declared invalid. 3. The holder bears the costs, fixed at EUR 750.
CostsHolder ordered to pay costs of €750
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
Ricegrowers Limitedvia PDF extraction
AU
Yanco Avenue, Leeton, New South Wales 2705, Australia
Holder · RCD owner
A Ali Ali
Romania (RO)
Intrarea Solzilor nr 6A, Bucuresti, Romania
Prior art cited (1)
Sunwhite rice bag / packet of rice packaging shown on archived website, Facebook posts, and YouTube video stills
https://me.sunrice.com.au/en/products/everyday-rice/; https://www.facebook.com; https://www.youtube.com · Internet Archive website capture, Facebook, and YouTube · disclosed 2017-04-05
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The applicant sought invalidity for lack of individual character and argued the views were inconsistent, relying on earlier Sunwhite rice-bag disclosures from an archived website, Facebook posts, and a YouTube video before the July 2019 filing date.
- ›The holder filed no observations and left the invalidity application undefended.
- ›The Division accepted the archived webpage, dated Facebook posts, and publicly accessible YouTube upload as sufficient Article 7 disclosure evidence of the earlier rice-bag design.
- ›Given broad design freedom for rice bags, the shared blue background, rice-plate image, sun logo, Arabic lettering, and similar text placement created the same overall impression; minor view inconsistencies and the white logo background difference were immaterial.
- ›The application was upheld, the contested design was declared invalid for lack of individual character, and costs of EUR 750 were awarded against the holder.
Deciding panel
- MemberLudmila ČELIŠOVÁ
- MemberRebecca SANTANA DAVIES
- MemberMichelle Marie DELLACHERIE
Decision files
| Language | Type | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| deDeutsch (de) | machine translated | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
| 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 ↗ |
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