Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 21 February 2024 –  
Nextrend v EUIPO – Xiamen Axent Corporation and Axent Switzerland (Toilet units (part of –))

(Case T‑82/23) (
[1](#t-ECR_62023TJ0082_INF_EN_01-E0001)
)

(Community design – Invalidity proceedings – Registered Community design representing toilet units (part of – ) – Earlier Community design – Grounds for invalidity – Individual character – Different overall impression – Degree of freedom of the designer – Article 6 and Article 25(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 6/2002)

| 1. | Community designs – Procedural provisions – Statement of reasons for decisions – First sentence of Article 62 of Regulation No 6/2002 – Scope identical to that of Article 296 TFEU – Recourse by the Board of Appeal to implicit reasoning – Whether permissible – Conditions  (Art. 296 TFEU; Council Regulation No 6/2002, Art. 62, first sentence)  (see paragraphs 16, 17) |

| 2. | Community designs – Procedural provisions – Examination of the facts of EUIPO’s own motion – Facts and evidence not submitted in due time – Account taken – Earlier design produced after the filing of the application for a declaration of invalidity – Precluded  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 52(2) and 63(2); Commission Regulation No 2245/2002, Art. 28(1)(b)(i)(v) and (vi))  (see paragraphs 28-30, 32) |

| 3. | Community designs – Grounds for invalidity – No individual character – Design not giving the informed user a different overall impression from that produced by the earlier design – Informed user – Concept  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 6(1) and 25(1)(b))  (see paragraphs 41, 42) |

| 4. | Community designs – Grounds for invalidity – No individual character – Design not giving the informed user a different overall impression from that produced by the earlier design – Representation of toilet units (part of)  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 6(1) and 25(1)(b))  (see paragraphs 45, 50, 59, 63, 67) |

| 5. | Community designs – Grounds 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 – Freedom of the designer  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 6(2) and 25(1)(b))  (see paragraphs 47, 48) |

| 6. | Community designs – Grounds for invalidity – No individual character – Design not giving the informed user a different overall impression from that produced by the earlier design – Overall assessment of all the elements presented by the designs  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 6(1) and 25(1)(b))  (see paragraphs 55, 56) |

| 7. | Community designs – Grounds for invalidity – No individual character – Design not giving the informed user a different overall impression from that produced by the earlier design – Determination of the overall impression in relation to one or more earlier designs, taken individually  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 6(1) and 25(1)(b))  (see paragraph 61) |

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the action; |

| 2. | Orders Nextrend GmbH, in addition to bearing its own costs, to pay those incurred by Xiamen Axent Corporation Ltd and Axent Switzerland AG, in the course of the proceedings before the General Court; |

| 3. | Orders the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to bear its own costs. |

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(
[1](#c-ECR_62023TJ0082_INF_EN_01-E0001)
) [OJ C 121, 3.4.2023](./../../../legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=OJ:C:2023:121:TOC).

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