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Industrial designs consultations

Closed consultations

Public consultation on EU reform package on industrial designs

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment sought the views of stakeholders and interested parties on a proposal for a reform package on industrial designs, consisting of a Directive (recast) of the European Parliament and of the Council to approximate the laws of the Member States relating to industrial designs, and a Regulation amending Council Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 on Community Designs.

The closing date was 24 February 2023.

Public consultation on EU reform package on industrial designs

European Commission public consultation on the revision of the EU legislation on design protection

Delivering on the actions contained in the European Commission’s Intellectual Property Action Plan, the Commission launched a public consultation on the revision of EU legislation on industrial design protection. 

The public consultation relates to industrial designs protection, that is, the rights which protect the appearance of a product resulting from its attributes such as shape, colours or materials. The public consultation sought to obtain views of all those affected by design protection in Europe on selected issues, such as whether rules on spare parts protection should be changed, as well as potential policy options in view of the review of the Community Design Regulation (6/2002) and the Directive on the legal protection of designs (98/71/EC). The review of the rules follows an exhaustive evaluation of the EU legislation on design protection, which was supported by a comprehensive public consultation and two major economic and legal studies. The evaluation indicated that the rules are working well, however, there were certain shortcomings that need to be addressed to modernise the legal framework and make it fit for the digital age.

The Commission invited the views of all interested stakeholders affected by design protection in Europe on potential options for reform of industrial designs protection. While the consultation is directed at a broader public, the reply to certain questions will require legal expertise and experience in the relevant field.

The closing date was 22 July 2021.

Further information about this initiative