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The Community Design (Amendment) Regulations 2014

S.I. 2014/2400 · Made 6 September 2014

Original text. legislation.gov.uk does not revise statutory instruments, so later amendments are not shown here. Changes made to it are listed under each provision when known.

Designs

Made 6th September 2014

Laid before Parliament 9th September 2014

Coming into force 1st October 2014

The Secretary of State is a Minister designatedf1 for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972f2 in relation to intellectual property (including both registered and unregistered rights).

The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 2(2) of that Act, makes the following Regulations.

Annotations to the whole text

Footnotes

f1

S.I. 2006/608.

f2

1972 c.68; section 2(2) was amended by the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 (c.51), section 27(1) and the European Union (Amendment) Act 2008 (c.7), section 3(3) and Part 1of the Schedule.

Contents

  1. 1Citation and commencement
  2. 2Amendment of the Community Design Regulations 2005
  3. 3Amendment of the Community Design Regulations 2005
  4. Signature
  5. Explanatory note

1Citation and commencement

These Regulations may be cited as the Community Design (Amendment) Regulations 2014 and come into force on 1st October 2014.

2Amendment of the Community Design Regulations 2005

The Community Design Regulations 2005f1 are amended as follows.

3Amendment of the Community Design Regulations 2005

In regulation 1A (Infringement proceedings)—

(a)

in paragraph (2) for “In an action” substitute “Subject to paragraphs (3) to (5), in an action”;

(b)

after paragraph (2) insert—

“(3)

In an action for the infringement of the right in a registered Community design damages shall not be awarded against a person who proves that at the date of the infringement they were not aware, and had no reasonable ground for supposing, that the design was registered.

(4)

For the purpose of paragraph (3), a person shall not be deemed to have been aware or to have had reasonable grounds for supposing that the design was registered by reason only of the marking of a product with—

(a)

the word “registered” or any abbreviation of that word, or

(b)

any word or words expressing or implying that the design applied to, or incorporated in, the product has been registered,

unless the number of the design accompanied the word or words or the abbreviation in question.

(5)

In an action for the infringement of an unregistered Community design, damages shall not be awarded against a person who proves that at the date of the infringement that they were not aware, and had no reason to believe, that the design to which the action relates was protected as an unregistered Community design.”

Signature

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

6th September 2014

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Community Design Regulations 2005 (“the 2005 Regulations”) so that unintentional infringement of a registered or unregistered Community design in the UK cannot give rise to an order to pay damages. This amendment to the 2005 Regulations will ensure that where a person innocently infringes Community designs then they are liable on the same basis as that available in relation to innocent infringement of UK designs.

The 2005 Regulations make provision for the operation of Council Regulation (6/2002/EC) on Community designs.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as it has a negligible effect on business.