Invalidity · first instance · 2025-06-18
000128335
Contested design: 015075088-0003
Outcome
The invalidity application is upheld, the registered EU design No 015075088-0003 is declared invalid, and the holder must bear costs fixed at EUR 750.
Show verbatim operative text(fr)
1. La demande en nullité est accueillie. 2. Le dessin ou modèle de l’UE enregistré nº 015075088-0003 est déclaré nul. 3. La titulaire supporte les frais, fixés à EUR 750.
CostsHolder ordered to pay costs of €750
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
Anotherwayvia PDF extraction
France (FR)
Marseille, France
Represented by
Prior art cited (4)
screenshot of the prior two-sided sponge design from the INGA Instagram account
Instagram INGA · Instagram · disclosed 2022-12-14
screenshot from a YouTube video showing the prior sponge design
YouTube video · YouTube · disclosed 2022-05-17
archived Ulule crowdfunding page showing INGA sponges in four colours including red
https://fr.ulule.com/inga-bien-fait/ · Internet Archive / Ulule · disclosed 2022-06-14
extracts from the Capeebara France Instagram account showing sponge products
Instagram Capeebara France · Instagram
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The applicant argued that the contested two-sided sponge design had been disclosed by its creator more than one year before filing and lacked novelty and individual character.
- ›The holder was invited to respond to the invalidity application but filed no observations.
- ›The Invalidity Division first assessed individual character, accepted the INGA Instagram disclosure as prior public disclosure, and found broad designer freedom for double-sided sponges.
- ›The compared designs created a very similar overall impression, with the visible red seam insufficient to differentiate the contested design.
- ›The application was upheld in full and the contested design was declared invalid, so the Division did not examine the other ground or other prior designs.
Deciding panel
- MemberLudmila ČELIŠOVÁ
- MemberJessica N. Lewis
- MemberMichelle Marie DELLACHERIE
Decision files
| Language | Type | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| frFrench | original | Download original from EUIPO ↗ |
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