European Union design reform to apply from April 2025

Reform of European Union (EU) design law will apply from 8 April 2025 with national law changes needing implementing in the following years.  As we reported previously, this puts in place various updates to EU design practice that have been in the works for some time.  These include adjustments to infringing acts and the grace period; a new repair clause; provisions covering 3D printing and much more.

The reforms are brought about by the EU official journal formally publishing the reformed Regulation and Directive on 18 November 2024.  The nations of the EU have a few years to implement the Directive in national law, but the Regulation will need to be implemented by the EUIPO in April 2025 as a result of the publication causing it to enter into force before the end of 2024.

We will provide further updates on the details of the reforms shortly, so follow us on LinkedIn for more news. In the meantime, please contact Alistair Holzhauer-Barrie and Luca Colombo if you would like to discuss the potential relevance of these reforms to your business, or email our dedicated designs team at gje@gje.com.