Invalidity · first instance · 2025-06-18
000128336
Contested design: 015022444-0003
Outcome
The invalidity application is upheld, the registered EU design No 015022444-0003 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 015022444-0003 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)
Instagram post by INGA showing the double-sided sponge 'L’éponge'
Instagram · disclosed 2022-04-04
YouTube video by INGA showing the double-sided sponge 'L’éponge'
YouTube · disclosed 2022-05-17
Ulule crowdfunding page for INGA showing double-sided sponges in four colours
https://fr.ulule.com/inga-bien-fait/ · Ulule / Internet Archive · disclosed 2022-05-17
Instagram extracts from Capeebara France showing double-sided sponges
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The applicant argued that the contested double-sided sponge had been disclosed by its creator more than one year before filing and therefore lacked novelty and individual character.
- ›The holder filed no observations in response to the invalidity application.
- ›The Division accepted the Instagram and archived Ulule disclosures as prior public disclosures and found broad designer freedom apart from basic sponge constraints.
- ›It held that colour and stitching differences were minor, the designs created a very similar overall impression, and the contested design lacked individual character.
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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