The Commercial Court No. 5 of Barcelona, specializing in patent law, delivered a Judgement on January 19, 2021 (in Spanish) connected to proceedings 1231/2019 (Judgement), involving German company Vorwerk & Co. Interholding GmbH (Vorwerk), manufacturer of the kitchen machine known as Thermomix, against the Spanish subsidiary of Lidl supermarkets (Lidl), distributor of the kitchen machine known as Monsieur Cuisine Connect (MCC) under Silvercrest brand.

The case relates to the infringement of European Patent EP 1269 898, validated in Spain through Spanish Patent ES 201589. Lidl, which commercialized its kitchen robot MCC in Spain from June 2018 would have infringed the “Thermomix patent“, owned by Vorwerk. As a result, Vorwerk launched the relevant proceedings for patent infringement against Lidl, who counterclaimed patent invalidity as a defence, arguing that ES 201589 patent: (i) extended the protection conferred pursuant 123(3) European Patent Convention (EPC); (ii) lacked novelty pursuant Art. 54 EPC; and it was not susceptible of industrial application pursuant Art. 57 EPC – also, the relevant Spanish Patent Law provisions were invoked.

Albeit the decision involved many other aspects, the debate focused on the food weighing function protected under patent EP 1269 898. This function, having an independent circuit from the circuit that controls the movement of the mixing bowl, allows Thermomix weighing the food while the machine works, therefore having two different circuits for mixing and weighing.

The Court dismissed the invalidity counterclaim filed by Lidl and found there was an direct infringement of European Patent EP 1269898, validated in Spain as Spanish Patent ES 201589.

In the Judgement Lidl was ordered to, inter alia: (i) cease any import, storage, commercialization -even through its distributors-, or advertising of the kitchen machine MCC; and (ii) pay damages, to be calculated in the enforcement phase of the Judgement, once the decision becomes final.

However, the enforcement of the Judgement – including the withdrawal of allegedly infringing products- will have to wait, since Lidl recently filed an appeal to the above mentioned decision. Now, the Court of Appeals of Barcelona shall decide on the merits of a case that, without a doubt, may have a paramount impact on the ability to commercialize the MCC, not only within the Spanish territory, but in other member States of the European Patent Office where EP 1269898 patent was validated.

Rubén Cano

Commercial Court N. 5 of Barcelona, January 19, 2021 – Proceedings 1231/2019 (Vorwerk & Co. Interholding GmbH v. Lidl Supermercados S.A)