Halfway Between Protection and Competition: The “Repair Clause” After the Recent Reform of the EU Design Acquis. Next Stepsfor the Spanish Legal Framework
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36151/RPIID.2025.2.3.01Keywords:
design, intellectual property, industrial design, complex products, components, repair, spare parts, limitationsAbstract
The recent reform of the EU legislation for the protection of designs entailed culminating successfully a longstanding debate over the extent of protection of component parts of complex products under a design law system thanks to the adoption of the so-called “repair clause” in the Design Directive, which is formally a limitation to the rights attributed to the holder of the Design that allows the use of the design by third parties for the purpose of repair. This article will analyze the remit of the provision as finally adopted and its complex legislative history, and will outline the potential way forward for Spain to incorporate the repair clause to the Spanish relevant legislation, which is the Act 20/2003, of 7th july, for the legal protection of designs.
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