ECTA is pleased to announce the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners of the ECTA Award (2021) competition:

Professional category:

1. Daniel Inguanez - A Refined Approach to Originality in EU Copyright Law in Light of the ECJ’s Recent Copyright/Design Cumulation Case Law

2. Silvia Francazi - The CJEU denies the extensibility of the protection afforded to the denomination “Aceto Balsamico di Modena” (Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, translator’s note) to the single nongeographical components of the PGI: reconstruction of the arguments and analysis of the critical aspects of the ruling

3. Marc Mimler, Uma Suthersanen - An Autonomous EU Functionality Doctrine for Shape Exclusions

Student category:

1. Vera Sevastianova - Trademark Functions in the Age of Voice Shopping: A Search Costs Perspective

2. Mikko Antikainen - Differences in Immaterial Details: Dimensional Conversion and Its Implications for Protecting Digital Designs Under EU Design Law

3. Ángela Helena Martínez López - The Interface between Trade Marks and Plant Variety Denominations: Towards Clearer Coexistence at International and EU level

Papers have been judged by the ECTA Professional Affairs Committee and several members from other specialised ECTA Committees, followed by an approval by the Board of Directors.

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 2022 edition. THE NEXT EDITION OF THE COMPETITION WILL BE LAUNCHED SOON 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 visit HERE.