Professor Derclaye part of panel commenting on book on utility models

On 4 March 2025, Professor Estelle Derclaye was invited by the Jorge Contreras, the author of a new edited collection of utility models (Sub-Patent Innovation Rights: Utility Models, Petty Patents and Innovation Patents Around the World, CUP, 2025) to comment on the relationship between designs and utility models. The event took place at the LSE; other commentators were Professor Lionel Bently (Cambridge), the Rt Hon Lord Justice Arnold and Professor Robin Jacob (UCL).   Professor Derclaye talked about the research she did on the litigation of designs in the EU ("Design litigation in the EU Member States: Are overlaps with other intellectual property rights and unfair competition problematic and are SMEs benefitting from the EU design legal framework?" (2021) European Law Review 37-60 (with O. Church and G. Stupfler), + addendum 264) focusing on the few cases in which a design right holder also relied on a utility model or when utility models were used to invalidate a design or vice versa.

A lively debate ensued the panellists’ comments including remarks with some of the contributors to the book who were in attendance. 

Further information and photos can be found on LinkedIn here.