The EU Design Reform - BusinessEurope comments

Key messages

BUSINESSEUROPE welcomes the European Commission Proposals which are intended to further harmonise the legislation on design protection in the European Union.
Designs traditionally are the least used type of intellectual property rights, however they play an important role for businesses and the EU economy as a whole. The reform could contribute to increasing awareness about design protection and help increase the usage of protected designs.
Efficiency and suitability for the digital transformation should be the way forward, alongside with the efforts to increase accessibility of the design protection system, especially for smaller businesses.
We welcome the wider definition of “product” and the extension of the scope of design rights, which are intended to align with the digital transformation.
New enforcement provisions and alignment with the EU trademark framework will grant precious new tools to right holders to fight counterfeiting, increasingly relying on new technologies (e.g. on 3D printing).