Protecting Creativity In Furniture Design

As the Manchester Furniture Show returns on 5–6 July, it will once again bring together designers, manufacturers and retailers to celebrate furniture design. Beyond the displays and deal-making, however, the event also provides an opportunity to reflect on the legal landscape that underpins and protects creative design. 

Within the past year, this landscape has been clarified by a significant Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling in Mio/Konektra. The decision, which arose from disputes over furniture designs elaborates on how registered design rights and copyright can co-exist and the different criteria for assessing the originality of works of applied art and for assessing copyright infringement.