2021-1-3 – Theory and practice of intellectual property

Theory and practice of intellectual property
№ 1 / 2021

ISSN (Print) 2308-0361
ISSN (Online) 2519-2744

PDF (Ukrainian)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33731/12021.234183

Published 2021-02-01

Some aspects of establishing the conformity of an industrial design to the criteria for protection

Oleksandr Doroshenko
Ukraine
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2542-2328

Liudmyla Rabotiahova
Ukraine
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5450-1607

Abstract
The new edition of the Law of Ukraine «On the Protection of Rights to Industrial Designs» No. 3770-XII, adopted on October 14, 2020, introduced significant changes to the regulation of the legal protection of industrial designs. The basic norms of the law were harmonized with the articles 212−217 Chapter 9 «Intellectual Property» of the Association Agreement between Ukraine, on the one hand, and the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, on the other hand. The concepts of «individual character», «the overall impression», «the informed user» and «the degree of freedom of the designer», «the circles specializing in the relevant industry» have been introduced into the sphere of legal protection. These concepts were not previously used in the legislation of Ukraine. The article analyzes the content of these concepts on the basis of European law enforcement practice, Decision of the European Union Intellectual Property Office Board of Appeal, Judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union и Judgment of the General Court of the European Union. In accordance with the new edition of the Law, an industrial design can be declared invalid in an administrative procedure. Authors reviewed the administrative procedure for establishing the conformity of a registered industrial design to the criteria for protection (a novelty and an individual character). A registered industrial design shall be considered to be new, if no identical design has been previously disclosed to the public and to have an individual character if the overall impression it produces on the informed user differs from the overall impression produced on such a user by any previously disclosed design. A design shall be deemed to have been made available to the public (i) if it has been published following registration or otherwise, or exhibited, used in trade or otherwise disclosed, (ii) except where these events could not reasonably have become known in the normal course of business to the circles specializing in the relevant industry in Ukraine. Authors analyzed this two-step test. Particular attention was paid to the disclosure of industrial designs as a trade mark, copyright work, patent, utility model or otherwise on the Internet. Criteria for assessing disclosure of designs on the internet considered.

Keywords: registered industrial designs, novelty, individual character, administrative procedure, invalidity

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