Theory and practice of intellectual property
№ 5 / 2020
ISSN (Print) 2308-0361
ISSN (Online) 2519-2744
PDF (Ukrainian)DOI: https://doi.org/10.33731/52020.233739
Published 2020-11-30
Unregistered industrial design: protection in the European Union and the problem of trolling in Ukraine
Yurii Kapitsa
Ukraine
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9449-8422
Abstract
The article considers a new provisions concerning unregistered industrial design (hereinafter — UD), introduced by the Law of Ukraine No 815-IX of 21.07.2020.
There is an incomplete reflection in the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine and in the adopted Law of the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 on Community designs, in particular the lack of implementation of Art. 85 (2) of the Regulation concerning the conditions under which courts consider UD to be valid; and the rulings of the Court of Justice that the right holder must provide evidence that the UD was copied by a third party, Case C-345/13 etc.
This may result in trolling in Ukraine with the use of UD to prohibit the use of known products or products created independently, bypassing trademarks.
It is actual to:
– provide amendments to the Law of Ukraine «On protection of rights to industrial designs» concerning the provisions of Art. 85 (2) of Regulation No 6/2002 and the case law of the Court of Justice;
– extend the competence of the Appeals Chamber to cases concerning the recognition of UD as invalid;
– amend the Law as well Art. 139, 140 of the Code of Civil Procedure of Ukraine and Art. 151, 153 of the Economic and Procedural Code of Ukraine regarding the provisions of Art. 50 TRIPS which stipulates that judicial authorities shall have the authority to require the applicant to provide any reasonably available evidence in order to satisfy themselves with a sufficient degree of certainty that the applicant is the right holder and that the applicant’s right is being infringed or that such infringement is imminent.
There is a danger of partial approximation not to the whole EU acquis governing the protection of relevant IP rights which may result in the difficulty of applying implemented provisions of EU acts and developing national case law which could contradict EU case law.
Keywords: unregistered industrial design, protection of intellectual property rights, approximation of legislation, trolling
References
Council Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 of 12 December 2001 on Community designs. OJ L 05.01.2002. P. 1.
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2245/2002 of 21 October 2002 implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 on Community designs. OJ L 341. 17.12.2002. P. 28.
Legal review on industrial design protection in Europe. European Commission. 15 April 2016. 168 p.
Church, O., Derclaye, E. & Stupfler, G. An Empirical Analysis of the Design Case Law of the EU Member States. IIC 50, 685–719 (2019).
Court of Justice, Case C–345/13, Case C–479/12; German Federal Supreme Court, Case I ZR 23/12; United Kingdom High Court, Case [2007] IEHC 449; Lietuvos Apeliacinis Teismas, Case 2A-73-823/2018 тощо.
German Federal Supreme Court decision of December 13, 2012 – Case I ZR 23/12 – Bolerojäckchen.
Case C 345/13, Opinion of Advocate General Wathelet, Karen Millen Fashions Ltd v Dunnes Stores, 2014.
Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber), 13.02.2014, Case C–479/12, H. Gautzsch Großhandel GmbH & Co. KG v Münchener Boulevard Möbel Joseph Duna GmbH.
Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber), 19 June 2014, Case C–345/13 Karen Millen Fashions Ltd v Dunnes Stores, Dunnes Stores (Limerick) Ltd.
Про внесення змін до деяких законодавчих актів України щодо посилення охорони і захисту прав на торговельні марки і промислові зразки та боротьби з патентним тролінгом : Проект Закону від 11.10.2019 No 2258.
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