{"id":36741,"date":"2026-09-23T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/?p=36741"},"modified":"2026-09-23T11:24:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T09:24:41","slug":"euipo-upholdstoilet-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/euipo-upholdstoilet-design\/","title":{"rendered":"EUIPO upholdsToilet Design"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull v4-pattern-hero v4-pattern-hero--post is-style-background-blend is-style-arrow has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull v4-pattern-hero__cover\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);min-height:75vh;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img data-dominant-color=\"628a44\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #628a44;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-36739 size-large not-transparent\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/EUIPO-haelt-Toilettendesign-1024x576.avif\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/EUIPO-haelt-Toilettendesign-1024x576.avif 1024w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/EUIPO-haelt-Toilettendesign-300x169.avif 300w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/EUIPO-haelt-Toilettendesign-768x432.avif 768w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/EUIPO-haelt-Toilettendesign-1536x864.avif 1536w, https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/EUIPO-haelt-Toilettendesign-2048x1152.avif 2048w\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-base-background-color has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:5em\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-97ba1214 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-a6a2a725 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\r\n<h1 id=\"multirow-headline-block_3deb8cb591c320f109b92d5e7a05ea73\" class=\"wp-block-visual4-multirow-headline\">\r\n    <div class=\"wp-block-visual4-multirow-headline\">\n\n<p class=\"has-gigantic-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:1;text-transform:uppercase\">EUIPO<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-huge-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:15%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:1;text-transform:uppercase\">upholds design of a<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-contrast-color has-text-color has-link-color has-gigantic-font-size wp-elements-1 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:1;text-transform:uppercase\"><span class=\"v4-marker-highlight-background\">toilet.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/div> \r\n<\/h1>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-small-font-size is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-878d3859 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:italic;font-weight:300;text-transform:uppercase\"><div style=\"font-style:italic;font-weight:300;text-transform:uppercase\" class=\"wp-block-post-date has-small-font-size\"><time datetime=\"2026-09-23T08:30:00+02:00\">23. September 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">of<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"font-style:italic;font-weight:600\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\">Clemens Pfitzer<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-3b99a472 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How precisely do the views of a design need to align with one another? And what happens if a dashed line in one of seven drawings is suddenly drawn as a solid line?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-eine-toilettenbank-aus-dem-jahr-2003\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A toilet bench from 2003<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S.-based company Thetford LLC is the owner of a registered EU design for a so-called toilet bench. This refers to a box-shaped toilet module. The application dates back to 2003, and the design has been renewed since then.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The design is depicted in seven line drawings. They show the product in an oblique view, from the front and back, from both sides, and from above and below. The lid, internal components, and the interior of the bowl are shown as dashed lines. Dashed lines serve as a \u201cdisclaimer\u201d\u2014that is, a visual indication that no protection is claimed for these parts. Under <a href=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/fields-of-law\/design-law\/\">design law<\/a>, only what is shown in the registered views is protected.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Six objections in seven drawings<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On February 22, 2024, the Chinese company Jiangsu Sanjo Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. filed a request with the EUIPO to declare the design invalid. It argued that the views did not depict a single product. A design whose views depict different objects does not meet the legal definition of a design and may be declared invalid.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The applicant listed six discrepancies. In the oblique view, the rear edge of the lid is shown as a solid line, whereas in two other views it is shown as a dashed line. The curvature lines on the front show eight in one view and nine in another, some straight and some curved. The top view shows a drain opening, while the side view does not. Furthermore, the same side edge runs downward in one view and upward in another.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The owner considered the deviations to be minor. They primarily concerned parts for which no claims had been made and resulted from different viewing angles. Furthermore, the design had been filed on paper. The Invalidity Division rejected the request on May 21, 2025. The applicant filed an appeal against this decision on July 18, 2025.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Appeals Board upholds the design<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The EUIPO Board of Appeal dismissed the appeal in <a href=\"https:\/\/euipo.europa.eu\/eSearchCLW\/#key\/design\/APL_20260305_R1283_2025-3_000050117-0001\">its decision dated March 5, 2026\u2014Case No. R 1283\/2025-3<\/a>. The design therefore remains registered. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Due to the filing date, the Board still applied the substantive provisions of the earlier Community Design Regulation. However, the new Regulation (EU) 2024\/2822 already applied to the proceedings. <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When are the views of a design contradictory?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the Chamber\u2019s view, only the registered views determine the scope of protection. They must be read in context. Minor deviations are acceptable as long as the views can be combined to form a single design. The Board thus followed the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding floor markings. It summarized the standard as follows:<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group v4-pattern-general-quote-box has-kpw-turquoise-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70)\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As long as the various views do not clearly contradict one another, there is no reason to assume that they do not refer to the same design object.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decisive factor for the court was the nature of the representation. Drawings cannot be as precise as 3D models or photographs. Lines on curved surfaces serve to make the curves visible. The fact that their number and shape vary from view to view is to be expected when transferring a three-dimensional object onto a two-dimensional surface. The curvature of the front remains equally recognizable in all views.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Board also considered the remaining objections to be explainable. It noted that the drain opening was simply not visible from the oblique view and, in any case, was excluded from protection. Regarding the side edges, the Board acknowledged that one view might be ambiguous; however, the other views showed the edges consistently. The Board admitted product photos submitted for the first time during the appeal proceedings for illustrative purposes.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the purpose of dashed lines?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For applicants, the first objection is the most instructive. The Board first confirmed that disclaimers must be used consistently in all views in which the relevant feature appears. However, the solid line at the rear edge of the lid did not constitute a violation.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This line merely marks a boundary and does not extend the protection to the lid. The differences in stroke length and line thickness are barely perceptible to the naked eye. They become visible only in the applicant\u2019s enlargements. An overall view of all the images clearly shows that the lid is not protected.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why, then, did the floor marking fail?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ruling on which the Chamber relied (<a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/DE\/TXT\/HTML\/?uri=CELEX:62023TJ0025\">General Court judgment of Oct. 23, 2024\u2014Case No. T-25\/23, Orgatex v. EUIPO\u2014Longton<\/a>) illustrates just how fine the line is. In that case, the Board of Appeal had declared a design for a floor marking invalid. The General Court of the European Union upheld that decision.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The four computer-generated views showed contour lines and shading that could not be explained by either perspective or lighting effects. In the court\u2019s view, there is no interpretation in favor of the owner in nullity proceedings. The applicant must ensure that its views are consistent. Photographs of the product actually sold cannot remedy contradictions in the registration.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both decisions use the same standard. They differ in their conclusions primarily with regard to how much inaccuracy the respective method of representation can account for. In our assessment, the more precise the chosen method of representation, the smaller the margin of error will be.  <\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"h-fazit\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns v4-pattern-text-copy-half-col is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-f56f613f wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For design owners, this decision is good news. It shows that a design is not invalidated simply because an opponent finds isolated discrepancies when the design is enlarged. Older, hand-drawn designs, in particular, are given a certain degree of leeway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the reasoning is not convincing in every respect. The Nullity Division still referred to computer-generated technical drawings. The Board, on the other hand, relied primarily on the limited precision of drawings. Furthermore, it acknowledged that a single view could be ambiguous and resolved this ambiguity by referring to the other views. This amounts to an interpretation in favor of the owner, which the Court of Justice of the European Union has expressly rejected in the case of road markings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It remains unclear where the line is drawn between a minor and an irreconcilable discrepancy. The criterion of visibility to the naked eye is not very precise.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80)\">\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide v4-pattern-cta-box has-secondary-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0c8cea62 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-right:0;padding-bottom:0\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignwide are-vertically-aligned-top v4-pattern-cta-box__columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-71c143ff wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top v4-pattern-cta-box__columns-column is-layout-flow wp-container-core-column-is-layout-fb77afb0 wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:0;flex-basis:60%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-right is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-1931a79c wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\r\n<div id=\"multirow-headline-block_c32a7676562331b8868119f094e19e3d\" class=\"wp-block-visual4-multirow-headline alignwide\">\r\n    <div class=\"wp-block-visual4-multirow-headline\">\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-huge-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:1;text-transform:uppercase\">We\u2019d be happy to<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-x-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:8%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:0.9;text-transform:uppercase\">advise you on <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-huge-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0%;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-style:normal;font-weight:1000;line-height:0.9;text-transform:uppercase\">Design rights!<\/p>\n\n<\/div> \r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-9da75b5c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-visual4-contact-modal__button\">\r\n            \r\n        <div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\r\n            \r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-button v4-contact-modal-button is-style-fill\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" data-form-id=\"8\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-contrast-color has-base-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\">Contact Form<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        \r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-style-mobile-only is-content-justification-left is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a768b15a wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-arrow is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-base-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"tel:4971141019030\" style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);font-style:normal;font-weight:600\">Call now!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top v4-pattern-cta-box__columns-column v4-pattern-cta-box__columns-column--image is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:40%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full v4-pattern-cta-box__columns-column__image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/wp-content\/themes\/kpw-law\/assets\/samples\/person-cropped.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23155\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A toilet bench from 2003 The U.S.-based company Thetford LLC is the owner of a registered EU design for a so-called toilet bench. This refers&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4904],"tags":[5262,6671,5258,5257,5286,6672],"thema":[],"rechtsgebiet":[4899],"produkt":[],"class_list":["post-36741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-community-design","tag-conflicting-application","tag-design-en","tag-design-protection","tag-nullity","tag-restroom","rechtsgebiet-designrecht-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.4 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Design Views: EUIPO Upholds Toilet Design<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How consistent must the design elements be? The EUIPO Board of Appeal upholds a toilet design despite certain discrepancies.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/euipo-upholdstoilet-design\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"EUIPO upholdsToilet Design\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How consistent must the design elements be? 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