The KaiKai Company Jaeger Wichmann v EUIPO (Appareils de gymnastique ou de sport) (Judgment) French Text [2021] EUECJ T-579/19 (14 April 2021)

The KaiKai Company Jaeger Wichmann v EUIPO (Appareils de gymnastique ou de sport) (Judgment) French Text [2021] EUECJ T-579/19 (14 April 2021)

The General Court held that, in the absence of an explicit provision in Regulation No 6/2002 regarding the priority period for Community design applications based on a prior PCT patent application, the Paris Convention must be used as a reference. The general rule is that the nature of the earlier right (here, a...

Source-derived case information.

Citation
[2021] EUECJ T-579/19
Parties
Applicant: The KaiKai Company Jaeger Wichmann GbR; Respondent: Office de l’Union européenne pour la propriété intellectuelle (EUIPO)
Jurisdiction
European Union
Procedural Posture
Action for Annulment / Judgment at First Instance (general Court, Eu)
Outcome
Appeal allowed in part; Board of Appeal decision annulled; costs awarded against EUIPO.
Legal Topics
Community Designs, Priority Right, Interpretation of Paris Convention, PCT Applications, EUIPO Procedure
Intellectual Property European Union Law Community Designs Priority Right Interpretation of Paris Convention PCT Applications EUIPO Procedure

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Parties

The KaiKai Company Jaeger Wichmann GbR

Applicant

Office de l’Union européenne pour la propriété intellectuelle (EUIPO)

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Action for Annulment / Judgment at First Instance (general Court, Eu)

  1. 1 Whether the six-month priority period under Article 41(1) of Regulation No 6/2002 applies to a Community design application claiming priority from a PCT international patent application; whether the Paris Convention requires a twelve-month priority period in such circumstances; whether the EUIPO Board of Appeal erred in law in its interpretation of the applicable priority period.

Ratio Decidendi

The General Court held that, in the absence of an explicit provision in Regulation No 6/2002 regarding the priority period for Community design applications based on a prior PCT patent application, the Paris Convention must be used as a reference. The general rule is that the nature of the earlier right (here, a patent application) determines the priority period, which is twelve months. The EUIPO Board of Appeal erred in applying a six-month period. The decision of the Board of Appeal was annulled to that extent.

Court Disposition

Appeal allowed in part; Board of Appeal decision annulled; costs awarded against EUIPO.

Orders

  • The decision of the EUIPO Board of Appeal of 13 June 2019 (R 573/2019-3) is annulled.
  • The remainder of the action is dismissed.