Law: Council Regulation (EC) 6/2002 - On Community Designs

Blow for Puma as General Court finds that complete shoe could be taken into account despite dotted lines in earlier designs

The court notably dismissed Puma’s argument that the comparison between the earlier designs and the contested designs should be made based on the soles of the shoes.

23 May 2024

General Court: Board of Appeal erred in finding that handle design lacked individual character

The court notably held that a more rounded shape generally results in a softening of the lines of the neck and grip, which has a significant effect on the overall appearance and ease of use of the handle.

01 May 2024

CJEU issues important decision on design priority claims

The CJEU considered whether a registered Community design application could validly claim priority from an earlier international application filed under the PCT, and within what period.

21 March 2024

Puma’s registered Community design invalidated due to prior social media disclosure by Rihanna

The case demonstrates that screenshots from Instagram posts or the Wayback Machine are sufficient to demonstrate the disclosure of a contested Community design.

19 March 2024

General Court upholds validity of registered Community design for LEGO toy brick

A design will be declared invalid, in accordance with Article 8 of Regulation 6/2002, only in the case where all of its characteristics are excluded from protection.

15 February 2024