Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 24 March 2021 –  
Lego v EUIPO – Delta Sport Handelskontor (Building block from a toy building set

(Case T‑515/19)

(Community design – Invalidity proceedings – Registered community design representing a building block from a toy building set – Ground for invalidity – Non-compliance with requirements for protection – Article 25(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 – Features of appearance of a product solely dictated by its technical function – Features of appearance of a product to be necessarily reproduced in their exact form and dimensions in order to permit the interconnection with other products – Designs whose purpose is to allow multiple assembly or connection of mutually interchangeable products within a modular system – Article 8(1) to (3) of Regulation 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 para. 19) |

| 2. | Judicial proceedings – Production of evidence – Time limit – Evidence lodged out of time – Conditions – EUIPO’s decision-making practice after the proceedings – Whether permissible  (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 85)  (see para. 21) |

| 3. | Community designs – Appeals procedure – Appeal brought against a decision by a department of OHIM – Examination by the Board of Appeal – Scope  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 8(3) and 60(1))  (see paras 48, 49) |

| 4. | Community designs – Conditions for protection – Designs dictated by their technical function – Features of appearance of a product which are dictated solely by its technical function – Criteria for assessment – Existence of alternative designs – Irrelevant  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Recital 10 and Art. 8(1) and (2))  (see paras 59-61, 93-96, 98) |

| 5. | 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, Arts 4 to 9 and 25(1)(b))  (see para. 99) |

| 6. | Acts of the institutions – Statement of reasons – Obligation – Scope – Correction of an error of reasoning during the proceedings before the Court – Not permissible  (Art. 296 TFEU)  (see para. 112) |

| 7. | Community designs – Appeals procedure – Action before the EU judicature – Power of the General Court to alter the contested decision – Limits  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Art. 61(3))  (see para. 119) |

Re:

Action brought against the decision of the Third Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 10 April 2019 (Case R 31/2018-3) relating to invalidity proceedings between Delta Sport Handelskontor and Lego.

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Annuls the decision of the Third Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) of 10 April 2019 (Case R 31/2018-3); |

| 2. | Dismisses the action as to the remainder; |

| 3. | Orders EUIPO and Delta Sport Handelskontor GmbH to bear their own costs and each to pay half of the costs incurred by Lego A/S. |

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