ECTA is pleased to announce the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners of the ECTA Award (2020) competition:

Professional category:

1. Andrea Zappalaglio, Flavia Guerrieri and Suelen Carls - Sui generis geographical indications for the protection of non-agricultural products in the EU: Can the quality schemes fulfil the task?

2. Eleonora Rosati - What does the European Commission make of the EU Copyright acquis when it pleads before the CJEU? The Legal Service’s observations in digital/online cases

3. Ilanah Fhima - The public domain

Student category:

1. Maurizio Crupi - Innovating within tradition: are PDOs and PGIs loosening their link to origin?

2. Richard Menzies - Characteristically vague: clarifying which ‘other characteristics’ may be excluded under Article 7(1)(e) EUTMR and Article 4(1)(e) EUTMD

3. Mina Jovanovic - The originality requirement in EU and U.S., different approaches and implementation in practice

Papers have been judged by the ECTA Professional Affairs Committee and several members from the Copyright and Geographical Indications Committees, followed by an approval by the Management Committee.

We would like to sincerely congratulate our winners for the relevance of their work and thank the many participants who have submitted their papers during this competition.

We highly encourage all the IP students and professionals, as well as those who have not been selected as winners for last year’s Award, to apply/reapply for the 2021 edition. THE NEXT EDITION OF THE COMPETITION WILL BE LAUNCHED IN AUTUMN and we are looking forward to receiving your article or essay of importance for the development of European Trade Mark, Design, Copyright or Geographical Indications Law. Besides a monetary prize, you can win 18 months of ECTA membership.

To find out more about ECTA Award, please click HERE