Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Sixth Chamber) of 15 March 2023 –  
Homy Casa v EUIPO – Albatros International (Chairs)

(Case T‑89/22) (
[1](#t-ECR_62022TJ0089_INF_EN_01-E0001)
)

(Community design – Invalidity proceedings – Registered Community design representing a chair – Earlier design – Ground for invalidity – Disclosure of the earlier design – Disclosure via the Internet – Identification of the earlier design – Discretion of the Board of Appeal – Article 63(1) of Regulation (EC) No 6/2002)

| 1. | Community designs – Appeals procedure – Action before the EU judicature – Jurisdiction of the General Court – Re-evaluation of the facts in the light of evidence produced for the first time before it – Precluded  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Art. 61)  (see paragraphs 15, 20) |

| 2. | Community designs – Grounds for invalidity – No individual character – Disclosure to the public – Exception – Facts not reasonably capable of being known to specialist circles of the sector concerned  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Art. 7(1))  (see paragraph 26) |

| 3. | Community designs – Grounds for invalidity – No individual character – Disclosure to the public – Proof of the disclosure  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 7(1), 25(1)(b) and 65(1); Commission Regulation No 2245/2002, Art. 28(1)(b)(v) and (vi))  (see paragraphs 27-31, 36) |

| 4. | Community designs – Grounds for invalidity – No individual character – Previous disclosure of identical design – Proof of the disclosure – Content of a website – Amazon  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Art. 7(1))  (see paragraph 37) |

| 5. | Community designs – Decisions of EUIPO – Legality – Examination by the EU judicature – Criteria  (Council Regulation No 6/2002)  (see paragraph 53) |

| 6. | Community designs – Procedural provisions – Examination of the facts of EUIPO’s own motion – Action for invalidity – Examination restricted to the facts, evidence and arguments provided  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Art. 63(1))  (see paragraph 59) |

| 7. | Community designs – Surrender and invalidity – Application for a declaration of invalidity based on the existence of an earlier design – Burden of proof  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Art. 52; Commission Regulation No 2245/2002, Art. 28(1)(b)(i) and (vi))  (see paragraphs 61, 68) |

| 8. | Community designs – Requirements for protection – Overlap of the conditions of novelty and individual character  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 5 and 6)  (see paragraphs 70, 71) |

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Annuls the decision of the Third Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 30 November 2021 (Case R 837/2020-3); |

| 2. | Orders EUIPO to pay the costs, including the costs necessarily incurred by Homy Casa Ltd for the purposes of the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO; |

| 3. | Orders Albatros International GmbH to bear its own costs. |

---

(
[1](#c-ECR_62022TJ0089_INF_EN_01-E0001)
) [OJ C 148, 4.4.2022](./../../../legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=OJ:C:2022:148:TOC).

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