Invalidity · first instance · 2025-06-25
000124782
Contested design: 004731347-0011
Outcome
The invalidity application is rejected, and the applicant must pay the holder's costs fixed at EUR 400.
Show verbatim operative text
1. The application for a declaration of invalidity of registered EU design No 004731347-0011 is rejected. 2. The applicant bears the holder’s costs, fixed at EUR 400.
CostsApplicant ordered to pay costs of €400
Parties
Applicant · invalidity challenger
Airtechnic - Chatzoudis Etaireia Periorismenis Euthynisvia PDF extraction
GR
Nea Chalkidona, Athens, Greece
Represented by
Holder · RCD owner
D.Ellinas Factory Products LTDvia PDF extraction
CY
Limassol, Cyprus
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
Air Grilles / 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 sought invalidity for lack of novelty and individual character and argued the design’s essential features were solely dictated by technical function.
- ›The holder argued the design remained new and distinctive, invoked the Article 7 grace period for its own disclosures, and denied the design was purely functional.
- ›The Division found the visible grill and slot were not solely functional, even if internal nozzle, plenum, and vane features were technical and excluded from comparison.
- ›The Division held D1 and D2 fell within the grace period and the remaining materials did not prove valid public disclosure, so all invalidity grounds failed and the application was rejected.
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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