Martin Howe QC spoke at the ITMA Designs Seminar on Wednesday 27 April 2016. His talk featured the interface between registered design protection and copyright protection for industrially produced objects in the light of the Flos (Arco lamp) case in the ECJ and the forthcoming repeal of section 52 of the CDPA 1988; the protection of the design of internal aspects of products which become visible when they are eaten or otherwise consumed and criticised the correctness of the General Court judgment in Biscuits Poult; and explained the implications of the Karen Millen judgment for the protection of different product features under unregistered Community design right. The seminar also featured the Trunki case with discussion on the recent Supreme Court decision.
These cases are examined in depth in the forthcoming 9th Edition of Russell-Clarke and Howe on Industrial Designs which Martin co-authors with James St Ville and Ashton Chantrielle.