EU

DesignEuropa 2023 call is open till 10 March 2023.

The DesignEuropa Awards celebrate excellence in design and design management among holders of Registered Community Designs (RCDs). Organised every two years by the EUIPO, the awards are divided into three categories:

• The Industry Award
• The Small and Emerging Companies Award
• The Lifetime Achievement Award

Applications for the Industry Award and the Small and Emerging Company Award

Infringement of intellectual property rights (IPR) is a major risk for the profitability and survival of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), according to a joint report by the EUIPO, through the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

To avoid unfair and misleading labels, IFOAM Organics Europe and the French Association of IFOAM Members have brought legal action before the Paris Court of Justice. The organic movements request the termination of the use of environmental labelling of food products that is considered unfair to organic production and deceptive for consumers.

Approximately 86 million fake items were detained in the European Union in 2021, an increase of almost 31 % compared to 2020, according to a joint report by the EUIPO and the European Commission. However, the estimated value of fake items detained in the EU amounted to over EUR 1.9 billion, a decrease of circa 3 % in 2021 compared to 2020.

The European Day of Languages (EDL) is an annual initiative held every 26 September involving numerous language institutions, associations, universities and, in particular, schools. This day, which has been celebrated since 2001, is a unique opportunity to raise awareness of language learning and linguistic diversity.

Agricultural products are specially protected by European Union law. This geographical indications (GI) system so far has not applied to craft and industrial products that are created using traditional practices from a specific region, such as certain ceramics, clothing, jewellery or furniture. Building on the success of the existing GI system, the European Commission (EC) is now putting a complementary protection system into place.

The European Innovation Council (EIC) launched the ninth edition of the EU Prize for Women Innovators. The Prize celebrates the women entrepreneurs behind Europe’s game-changing innovations, to inspire more women to follow their footsteps.

How does AI play a part in the enforcement of IP rights, today.

On 2 March 2022, the “Study on The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on The Infringement and Enforcement of Copyright and Designs” was published by the Observatory. The purpose of this study is to analyse the impact of AI technologies on both the infringement and enforcement of copyright and designs.

The European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) recognises emerging fiction writers from the European Union and beyond. Engaging the 41 countries participating in the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, the Prize celebrates 41 outstanding new literary talents across a cycle of three years. Spotlighting the creativity and the immense and diverse wealth of Europe’s contemporary literature in the field of fiction, EUPL aims to promote the circulation of literature within Europe and encourage greater interest in non-national literary works.

Online since 2016, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on copyright have been a successful EU initiative from the EUIPO’s Observatory. The FAQs provide answers to 15 of the most common questions European consumers have on copyright in the digital environment.