Protection of car designs in Europe—some observations from a practitioner’s perspective

Protecting car designs is no easy feat. Many hurdles have to be overcome before a car design can be protected in Europe. Is the design valid? Is it infringed? What is the target audience? Is a specific part of the design protected? If the car is damaged, are spare parts available and will they be the same? The list goes on. Although Europe has harmonised its design laws, there is still much conflict among the member states regarding the protection of car designs, not to mention other jurisdictions such as the United States and China.