Judgment of the General Court of 10 November 2021 – Eternit v EUIPO – Eternit Österreich (Building panel)
(Case T-193/20) 1
(Community design – Invalidity proceedings – Registered community design representing a building panel – Earlier design representing a panel for a noise-reduction wall – Ground for invalidity – No individual character – Sector concerned – Informed user – Degree of freedom of the designer – No different overall impression – Relevance of goods actually marketed – Article 6 and Article 25(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 6/2002)
Language of the case: English
Parties
Applicant: Eternit (Kapelle-op-den-Bos, Belgium) (represented by: J. Muyldermans and P. Maeyaert, lawyers)
Defendant: European Union Intellectual Property Office (represented by: J. Ivanauskas and V. Ruzek, acting as Agents)
Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of EUIPO, intervener before the General Court: Eternit Österreich GmbH (Vöcklabruck, Austria) (represented by: M. Prohaska-Marchried, lawyer)
Re:
Action brought against the decision of the Third Board of Appeal of EUIPO of 5 February 2020 (Case R 1661/2018-3), relating to invalidity proceedings between Eternit Österreich and Eternit.
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
1. Dismisses the action;
2. Orders Eternit to bear its own costs and to pay the costs incurred by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and by Eternit Österreich GmbH.
____________
1 OJ C 201, 15.6.2020.