Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 22 November 2018 –  
Buck-Chemie v EUIPO — Henkel (Cleansing block for toilets)

(Case T‑296/17)

(Community design — Invalidity proceedings — Registered Community design representing a cleansing block for toilets — Ground for invalidity — Individual character — Article 25 of Regulation (EC) No 6/2002)

| 1. | Community designs — Conditions for protection — Overlap of the conditions of novelty and individual character  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 5 and 6)  (see para. 30) |

| 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 — Global assessment of all the elements of the prior design  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 6(1)(b) and 25(1)(b))  (see paras 41, 42) |

| 3. | 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)(b) and 25(1)(b))  (see para. 43) |

| 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 — Criteria for assessment — Creative licence  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 6(2) and 25(1)(b))  (see para. 47) |

| 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 — Representation of a cleansing block for toilets  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 6(1)(b) and 25(1)(b))  (see paras 50-54) |

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Third Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 8 March 2017 (Case R 2113/2015-3), relating to invalidity proceedings between Buck-Chemie and Henkel.

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the action; |

| 2. | Orders Buck-Chemie GmbH to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and by Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, including the costs necessarily incurred before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO. |

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