Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 24 January 2024 –  
Delta-Sport Handelskontor v EUIPO Lego (Building block from a toy building set)

(Case T‑537/22) (
[1](#t-ECR_62022TJ0537_INF_EN_01-E0001)
)

(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 – Procedural provisions – Registration procedure – Essentially formal, expeditious check  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Recital 18 and Art. 48)  (see paragraphs 53-55) |

| 2. | Community designs – Conditions for protection – Overlap of the conditions of novelty and individual character  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 5 and 6)  (see paragraph 62) |

| 3. | Community designs – Grounds for invalidity – Lack of novelty – Previous disclosure of identical design – Proof of the disclosure  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 5(1)(b), 7(1) and 25(1)(b))  (see paragraphs 87, 90, 92) |

| 4. | Community designs – Surrender and invalidity – Application for a declaration of invalidity based on the existence of an earlier design – Burden of proof – Requirements relating to the reproduction of the earlier design  (Council Regulation No 6/2002, Arts 5 to 7 and 25(1)(b))  (see paragraph 89) |

Operative part

The Court:

| 1. | Dismisses the action; |

| 2. | Orders Delta Sport Handelskontor GmbH to pay the costs. |

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(
[1](#c-ECR_62022TJ0537_INF_EN_01-E0001)
) [OJ C 418, 31.10.2022](./../../../legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=OJ:C:2022:418:TOC).

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