The MARQUES Copyright and Designs Teams are jointly hosting an online workshop during MARQUES Month on the subject of technical functionality.

The workshop is on Friday 18 September starting at 14.30 CEST. Registration is available on the MARQUES Month portal, where you can also register for other events during MARQUES Month (including an all-inclusive ticket).

Registration for all MARQUES Month events is free for MARQUES corporate members and other in-house counsel.

In a video interview previewing the workshop, Thomas Hvammen Nicholson of Protector Intellectual Property Consultants AS in Norway said the workshop is “very relevant topic with the latest case law”, notably the CJEU decisions in DOCERAM, Cofemel and Brompton Bicycle, which address functionality in design and copyright law. “We will be adding a trade mark element as well,” he added.

The workshop will include interactive discussions on the best way to protect products where technical functionality is important, as well as infringement issues. “We want all the participants to be actively involved. We will probably divide into two or three groups who will be given hypothetical cases and scenarios and discuss how to move forward,” said Thomas.

It will also feature an interactive quiz.

Thomas said it is a very timely topic given the recent case law in Europe: “The workshop should appeal to practitioners and in-house counsel wanting to discuss the effects of recent case law, in particular on design and copyright protection of functional products.”

Find out more about MARQUES Month on the dedicated page and in this blog post on Class 46.