ECTA invites all IP professionals and students to participate in the ECTA Award competition by submitting an article or essay of importance for the development of EU Intellectual Property Law.

We are pleased to announce our collaboration with the Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice by Oxford University Press, extending this year to both the professional and student categories.

One winner will be selected from each category (professional and student) and will receive a monetary prize of €1,000 and 18 months of complimentary ECTA membership. Winners will also be honoured by ECTA President at the Award Ceremony during the ECTA 43rd Annual Conference in Berlin (20 June 2025) and invited to join us for the gala dinner.

Furthermore, an interview with the winners will be featured in the October 2025 edition of the ECTA Bulletin, and the winning papers will be showcased on the ECTA website. A one-year complimentary online subscription to the Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice will be granted to winners and, if not previously published elsewhere, the winning papers will also be considered for publication in the Journal.

Please consult the ECTA Award submission requirements and judging criteria and send your paper to ecta@ecta.orgecta@ecta.org by 15 February 2025. Kindly indicate in your email whether you are participating in the Professional or Student category.

All submissions will be evaluated by the ECTA Professional Affairs and Membership Committee with the support of other Committees and under the supervision of the Board of Directors. The publication of the winning papers in the Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice is subject to the final decision of its editors.

The EUIPO has unveiled its Strategic Plan 2030, outlining key priorities and goals for the next five years. Adopted by the EUIPO’s Management Board and Budget Committee, the SP2030 will take effect on 1 January 2025.

ECTA has actively contributed to the development of SP2030 by submitting comments during the consultation process and engaging in discussions at its Bilateral Meeting with the EUIPO.

SP2030 is built around five strategic goals:

1. Optimising operational efficiency and effectiveness
2. Enhancing the value of IP products and services
3. Improving access to the IP system
4. Building trust and respect for IP
5. Ensuring the sustainability of the European IP network (EUIPN)

The priority impact areas to drive these strategic goals forward will be:

1. Customer experience
2. IP awareness and education
3. Promotion of innovation
4. Inclusive IP landscape
5. Enforcement
6. IP Alliances

The plan emphasises the importance of leveraging new technologies, such as AI and blockchain, to enhance IP services and streamline operations. It also highlights the importance of raising IP awareness and education, particularly among SMEs, young people, and women, as well as EUIPO’s commitment of promoting sustainability and environmental responsibility in the IP ecosystem.

Cristina Bercial-Chaumier (ECTA EUIPO-Link Committee Chair) commented as follows: “We are very happy that the final draft of the SP was approved and thank the EUIPO for the extensive consultation which was carried out in its initial phase to be aware of the stakeholders’ concerns”.

To find our more, please read the official press release here.

The EUIPO officially launched the 6th edition of the DesignEuropa Awards, which aim to recognise excellence in design and design management among Registered Community Design owners, including individuals, small businesses, and large companies.

The submission period is open until 28 February 2025 and the awards ceremony will take place in Copenhagen at the end of September 2025.

For more information, including the rules and regulations, please consult here.

Inquiries can be directed to the DesignEuropa Awards team at DesignEuropa@euipo.europa.eu.

Last night, after the final stage of negotiations in Riyadh, WIPO member states approved the Design Law Treaty (DLT), marking a significant advancement in global design protection. The Treaty is designed to simplify, expedite, and reduce the cost of the process for designers to protect their designs both at home and abroad.

What the Treaty will do:

• set a maximum list of indications or elements that designers must submit when applying for protection. This closed list helps create a predictable framework, ensuring designers know exactly what information is required to file an application.
• applicants can choose how to represent their designs - whether through drawings, photographs, or, if accepted by the relevant IP office, video.
• designers may include several designs in a single application, provided certain conditions are met.
• set out requirements for the granting of a filing date. Keeping the list of filing-date requirements for applications to a minimum is crucial because, in the field of design, postponing the filing date can lead to the loss of rights.
• provide for a grace period of 12 months following a first disclosure of the design, during which such self-disclosure will not affect its validity for registration.
• allow applicants to keep their designs unpublished for at least six months after having secured a filing date.
• introduce relief measures and offer some flexibility to applicants in cases where deadlines are missed. Without such measures, in the case of designs, missing a time limit usually results in the permanent loss of rights.
• the procedure for renewing design registrations has been simplified.
• furthers the introduction of e-filing systems for designs and the electronic exchange of priority documents.

The Treaty also expressly interfaces design protection with the protection of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions: contracting parties may require applicants to file information on traditional cultural expressions and traditional knowledge relevant to the eligibility for registration of the design.

Prior to the final stage of negotiations, ECTA submitted its comments on the DLT proposal to the WIPO Diplomatic Conference, which can be accessed here.

Katri Kiviniemi, ECTA Design Committee Chair, commented as follows: “I have been following the Diplomatic Conference in Riyadh on behalf of ECTA Design Committee and have to say that I am impressed by this outcome, considering also the difficult times in world economies and in international politics in general. The aim of this Treaty is to unify the requirements for design application procedures and it was, at least for the most part, reached. Especially important for the designers is the 12 months grace period as a remedy if the design has been published prior to filing”.

The Treaty will come into force once it is signed by 15 contracting parties.

To find out more, please ready the official press release here.