The European Court of Justice has ruled that Dunnes Stores infringed on copyright held by high-street chain Karen Millen by copying the designs of a number of their garments.
The landmark ruling was confirmed today, after Karen Millen took the case in respect of a black top and two shirts that it had released for sale in December 2005. It was claimed that Dunnes put similar items on sale under its Savida range in 2006 and by doing so, infringed Karen Millen's rights to unregistered community design.
The copyright means that the company's designs are protected for three years but Dunnes Stores challenged a previous ruling against it, claiming in the Supreme Court that Millen had failed to prove the individual character of the designs at issue and therefore the grounds of unregistered community design were not relevant.
The court referred a number of questions about the case to Europe and it's understood that today's ruling could have widespread ramifications for many retailers that stock garments inspired by designer collections.
The case will now return to the Supreme Court.
‘They are surprisingly comfortable!’ Shoppers are praising a pair of sandals that look like Birkenstocks but are ‘a fraction of the price’. The popular Birkenstocks are go-to sandals for many people during summer, but a pair of the classic sliders will set you back €113. If you want a similar style but on a budget, […]
This M&S summer dress will complete your wardrobe This M&S summer dress is the IT Girl dress of the summer. Summer is finally here, and our wardrobes are in need of a boost. The old dresses we’ve been wearing for the last decade are looking a little worse for wear. It’s time to find the […]
M&S has made a huge change to its bra fittings There’s no doubt that many of us will remember our first bra fitting at M&S. As awkward and red-faced teenagers, a trip to M&S for your first training bra was quite the momentous day, and a place we’ve gone back to time and time again […]
