Invalidity · first instance · 2025-06-25
000124781
Contested design: 004731347-0009
Outcome
The application for a declaration of invalidity of registered Community design No 004731347-0009 is rejected, and the applicant is ordered to pay the holder's costs fixed at EUR 400.
Show verbatim operative text(es)
1. Se deniega la solicitud de declaración de nulidad del dibujo o modelo comunitario registrado no 004731347-0009. 2. Se condena al solicitante a que sufrague las costas del titular, fijadas en 400 EUR.
CostsApplicant ordered to pay costs of €400
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
Airtechnic — Chatzoudis Etaireia Periorismenis Euthynisvia PDF extraction
GR
Nea Chalkidona, Atenas, Grecia
Represented by
Holder · RCD owner
D.Ellinas Factory Products LTDvia PDF extraction
CY
Limassol, Chipre
Represented by
Konstantina Diola
Prior art cited (4)
holder's air-conditioning grille/slot diffuser design shown in Facebook screenshots
Facebook posts dated 22/05/2017 · Facebook · disclosed 2017-05-22
installed product photograph of the holder's linear slot diffuser design
CANYON FLOWBAR SYSTEMS catalogue · holder catalogue · disclosed 2017-12-31
similar air grille design from I. Lioli & CO O.E. AIR grilles catalogue
AIRGRILLES_SL-L catalogue excerpt · downloadable catalogue · disclosed 2017-10-30
other linear diffuser designs, including Price Industries results
Google Image Search results dated 28/02/2018 · Google Image Search · disclosed 2018-02-28
Legal grounds invoked
Argument summary
- ›The applicant argued that the contested air-conditioning grille design lacked novelty and individual character over the holder's Facebook and catalogue disclosures, the I. Lioli catalogue, and other Google search results.
- ›The applicant also argued that the design's essential features were solely dictated by technical function, while the holder relied on the Article 7 grace period, challenged disclosure, and denied pure functionality.
- ›The Division found the visible linear grille and slot were not shown to be exclusively technically dictated, although internal nozzle, plenum, and adjustable vane features served technical functions and were excluded from further comparison.
- ›For novelty and individual character, D1 and D2 fell within the grace period and the remaining cited materials did not prove reliable prior disclosure under Article 7, so all invalidity grounds failed.
Deciding panel
- MemberLudmila ČELIŠOVÁ
- MemberRasa BARAKAUSKIENĖ
- MemberBenjamin VAN BAVEL
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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