Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 6 June 2019 –Porsche v EUIPO — Autec (Cars)
(Case T‑210/18)
(Community design — Invalidity proceedings — Registered Community design representing a car — Earlier Community design — Ground for invalidity — No individual character — Article 6 and Article 25(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 6/2002)
1.      Community designs — Ground for invalidity — No individual character — Design not giving the informed user a different overall impression from that produced by the earlier design — Global assessment of all the elements of the prior design
(Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 6(1) and 25(1)(b))
(see paras 26, 105)
2.      Community designs — Ground for invalidity — No individual character — Design not giving the informed user a different overall impression from that produced by the earlier design — Informed user — Meaning
(Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 6(1) and 25(1)(b))
(see paras 28, 29)
3.      Community designs — Application for registration — Conditions — Indication of the goods
(Council Regulation No 6/2002, Art. 36(2))
(see paras 35, 36)
4.      Community designs — Ground for invalidity — No individual character — Design not giving the informed user a different overall impression from that produced by the earlier design — Representation of a car
(Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 6(1) and 25(1)(b))
(see paras 46, 62, 113)
5.      Community designs — Ground for invalidity — No individual character — Design not giving the informed user a different overall impression from that produced by the earlier design — Criteria for assessment — Creative licence
(Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 6(2) and 25(1)(b))
(see paras 47-51, 57)
6.      Community designs — Ground for invalidity — No individual character — Design not giving the informed user a different overall impression from that produced by the earlier design — General tendency in design matters — Irrelevant
(Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 6(1) and 25(1)(b))
(see para. 60)
7.      Community designs — Ground for invalidity — No individual character — Design not giving the informed user a different overall impression from that produced by the earlier design — Consideration given, as representations of the same earlier design or model, to elements disclosed to the public in different ways
(Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 6(1) and 25(1)(b))
(see paras 75-79)
8.      Community designs — Conditions for protection — Overlap of the conditions of novelty and individual character
(Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 5 and 6)
(see paras 86, 87)
Re:
Action brought against the decision of the Third Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 19 January 2018 (Case R 941/2016-3), relating to invalidity proceedings between Autec AG and Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.
Operative part
The Court:
1.
Dismisses the action;
2.
Orders Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG to pay the costs.