Designs

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This subtopic provides an overview of design rights under EU.

The World Intellectual Property Office defines intellectual property (IP) as ‘creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; design; and symbols, names and images used in commerce’. Broadly, the aim of IP law is to cultivate an environment in which creativity and invention can flourish. Protection of IP rights means those that invest time and resource in creating and developing IP can reap benefit from their investment. By registering (where necessary), maintaining and enforcing IP rights, a rights holder can prevent people stealing or copying valuable assets.

The four most common IP rights are:

  1. •

    copyright, databases and associated rights

  2. •

    designs

  3. •

    patents, and

  4. •

    trade marks

This subtopic focuses on design rights. Design rights protect the shape, configuration or appearance of the whole or part of a product or article. A design may comprise three-dimensional features, such as the shape or surface of an article or two-dimensional features such as surface decoration, patterns or colour. To qualify for protection, a design

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Latest EU Law News

COP30 round-up—18 November 2025 (Forests, Oceans, Biodiversity, Small and medium entrepreneurs, Indigenous peoples, Local and traditional communities and Children and Youth)

On 18 November 2025, the eighth day of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the COP30 Presidency published a draft decision that forms part of the decisions expected to be adopted on 19 November 2025, calling for a ‘Global Mutirão’ to close the 1.5°C ambition and implementation gap. In addition, Brazil and France announced the establishment of a Task Force on Oceans during a high-level ministerial meeting and the Alliance for the Implementation of National Adaptation Plans was launched.

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Commission publishes report assessing the EU Digital Services Act’s effectiveness

The European Commission has published a report evaluating the application of Article 33 of the EU Digital Services Act (EU DSA) and its relationship with other EU legal acts. The assessment confirms that the DSA’s designation threshold of 45 million average monthly active recipients for very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large online search engines (VLOSEs) remains appropriate and effective for identifying services with systemic societal impact. Since its implementation, the Commission has designated 23 online platforms and two search engines as VLOPs and VLOSEs, with one designation terminated. The report finds that the framework has successfully adapted to emerging services such as Temu and Shein, confirming the DSA’s responsiveness to rapid technological change. It also concludes that the existing definitions of intermediary services sufficiently address evolving digital realities, though this may require reassessment by 2027 in light of advances such as artificial intelligence.

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