Guest Book Review: Research Handbook on Design Law

This is a guest book review of the Research Handbook on Design Law, edited by Henning Hartwig, Attorney-at-Law, Bardehle Pagenberg, Munich, Germany. Contributors to the edited collection include expert scholars and practitioners; Estelle Derclaye, Jason Du Mont, Tracy-Gene G. Durkin, Ádám György, Mark D. Janis, Annette Kur, Charles Lee Mauro, Christopher Daniel Morley, David Musker, Margaret Polson, Robert Mirko Stutz, Uma Suthersanen, Anna Tischner, Bernard Volken and Alexander Von Mühlendahl. This review is kindly provided by previous Kat and Intellectual Property Partner at Gunnercooke LLP, Rosie Burbidge. 

Designs overlap with all the other IP rights and are vital for a wide range of industries from fashion to automotive. I was delighted to have the opportunity to read and review the Research Handbook on Design Law edited by Henning Hartwig, Bardehle Pagenberg, Munich, Germany.

The book does not disappoint. 

 

It is a hefty tome with a rupture factor of zero but a weight that may encourage purchase of the digital edition. The chapters are designed to take the reader on a journey from understanding the foundations of design law to the intersection of design and trade mark law and, fascinatingly, neuroscience and its impact on design law.

The book includes chapters from a variety of experts who move from considering the (relatively few!) commonalities in design law around the world through to complex questions such as how to capture a visual design in words. It is a densely packed and incredibly informative book which deserves to be read in full but is equally useful as a reference source when considering particular questions. 

The chapters that I found the most relevant from a practical perspective include ones on the consideration of 3D trade marks and designs, the design protection of graphical user interfaces and a close analysis of spare parts law. From a filing perspective there is a very helpful analysis from Henning Hartwig on the complicated question of priority for EU design law. 

Image: Riana Harvey

There is also a helpful look at the impact of pending policy decisions on the future of design law around the world. 

The book is at home on both an academic and a practitioner bookshelf and I’m sure will be an important and valuable work for many years to come. As Hartwig states in the introduction chapter:

Hopefully, the wealth and diversity of this Research Handbook will assist readers - students and researchers, practioners and policymakers - when seeking help or guidance in understanding and nagivating the fascinating world of design law.

Details:

Publisher: Edward Elgar

Publication Date: 2021 

ISBN: 978 1 78195 587 1 

Extent: 584 pp

Price: £215.00 from the publisher

Also available as an ebook.