聚焦伦敦时装周：设计在英国/欧盟的保护问题

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来源：IPRdaily中文网（iprdaily.cn）

供稿：麦仕奇知识产权

原标题：聚焦伦敦时装周

2021年9月伦敦时装周开启的时装月，也是英国脱欧和新冠疫情后的第一个世界时装月。但英国脱欧后导致的知识产权法的变化，将使设计师在之后应对市场受本月时装秀“启发”而产生的时装抄袭行为时比之以往有更多的不确定性。理论上，在伦敦时装周上首先发表的设计可能在欧盟得不到保护，而在米兰先发表的设计则在英国得不到保护。

聚焦伦敦时装周：设计在英国/欧盟的保护问题

Spotlight on London Fashion Week

2021年9月已然是时尚日历上的一个重要里程碑。这既是9月16日伦敦时装周开启的时装月，也是英国脱欧和新冠疫情后的第一个世界时装月。大环境的变化也许会激发新的时尚创意和风格，但英国脱欧后导致的知识产权法的变化，将使设计师在之后应对市场受本月时装秀“启发”而产生的时装抄袭行为时比之以往有更多的不确定性。

September 2021 is already an important milestone in the fashion calendar. Not only is it the start of fashion month (beginning with London Fashion Week) on 16 September but it is also the first instance of fashion month being run in a post-Brexit environment as well as in a post-Covid world. While this may spark new creative ideas and styles, changes to IP law post-Brexit mean there is more uncertainty than usual as to how designers can address copycat activity in the market inspired by this month’s high profile shows.

中国设计师王予涵在伦敦时装周发布的作品之一，图片来源https://londonfashionweek.co.uk/designers/yuhan-wang

一些大众服装品牌被指控抄袭设计师品牌并不是什么新鲜事，例如Zara、Mango 和 Fashion Nova 等快时尚品牌都曾收到抄袭指控，说这些品牌抄袭了设计师品牌在T台上首次披露的设计样式。在数字时代，我们的确比以往任何时候都更了解此类设计抄袭行为，独立设计师、时尚监管机构甚至专门的博主和社交媒体帐户（例如 Diet Prada）在关注及追踪设计抄袭方面也更加直言不讳、引人注目。

Allegations of copying from designers against high street brands are nothing new. There are many examples of fast-fashion brands such as Zara, Mango and Fashion Nova receiving allegations of copying designs first showcased on the catwalk by designer brands. It’s also true that in the digital world we are more aware of this activity than ever before and independent designers, fashion watchdogs and even dedicated bloggers and social media accounts such as Diet Prada are becoming more vocal and visible in highlighting this.

在法律上预防抄袭并不总是那么容易。尤其是，虽然设计师可以通过“注册”来保护其设计，但通常很难界定未注册的外观设计以及版权的保护范围。受英国脱欧的影响，情况变得更加复杂。虽然英国在脱欧时创立了本地版的“未注册外观设计”（权利名称为“补充设计权”）以取代之前的欧盟权利，但英国和欧盟均要求授予保护的前提是该设计必须是在当地（英国或欧盟）首次公开。因此，理论上，在伦敦时装周上首先发表的设计可能在欧盟得不到保护，而在米兰先发表的设计则在英国得不到保护。

Legally spanventing copying is not always easy. In particular, while designers can obtain “registered” design protection for their designs it is often hard to determine the scope of protection provided by unregistered design right and copyright. However, the impact of Brexit has made things more complicated. This is because while the UK created an equivalent “unregistered design right” at the point of Brexit (called “Supplementary Design Right”) to replace an equivalent EU right, the requirement for UK and EU forms of protection is that the design has to be first published in the UK or EU respectively.  So, in theory, it’s possible that a design first published at London Fashion Week might not enjoy protection in the EU and that a design first published in Milan might not enjoy corresponding protection in the UK.

这看起来令人吃惊。目前尚不清楚在英国、欧盟同时公开发表设计作品能否满足两地的各自要求从而在两地都产生可受保护的权利，例如通过在线流媒体公开设计作品使两地公众都能看到作品（本次伦敦时装周将上演众多“数字”式的时装秀，因此这将是一个现实命题）。目前也尚无影响力大的法律判决就首次发表的具体要求及同时在线发表能否满足首次发表的要求等问题提供明确解答。设计师面临的关键难题仍然是，在英国首次发表设计作品可能会导致丧失该设计在欧盟的新颖性，反之亦然。鉴于设计师可能无法凭借设计的后续公开从而获得在另一地的权利，因此有必要慎重考虑选择在哪儿首次披露他们的新设计，例如要不要在作品产出最多的市场上。

This seems surprising and it is unclear if simultaneous publication in both locations would meet the corresponding requirements, for example through streaming online so viewers in both territories could view the designs would enable rights to be created (in practice this will be happening since there are a number of “digital” shows taking place in the London Fashion Week programme). However, there has been no leading legal ruling confirming the requirements for first publication and whether simultaneous online publication would be enough. Furthermore, a key issue for designers to consider is that first publication in the UK could eliminate the novelty of their design in the EU and vice versa. Designers may therefore be unable to rely on disclosure at subsequent events and will need to have carefully considered where they choose to disclose their new designs for the first time, for example perhaps in their most prolific market.

设计在某些情况下也可以获得其他类型的保护。但这一点（指设计的新颖性在英国/欧盟框架下怎么确定）对于设计师仍然十分重要，以使设计师能利用所有法律手段来保护原创设计的创意及独特性。大家可关注与时装月有关的后续法律案件中英国和欧盟法院对这一重要问题的诠释，更重要的是看欧盟和英国法院对于各自区域性权利的诠释是否一致。在此之前，设计师应寻求将其设计作品进行注册以获得保护，以最大程度地减少不确定，这点比以往任何时候都更具有价值，不应仅仅依赖于未注册外观设计的保护。另外，在一切尚不明晰的阶段，设计师可以整理相关证据以保障将来可能的权利主张，例如首次发表日、发表方式、参展及观看发布会的人员（可能既有英国观众也有欧盟观众）等等资料。这些证据对之后打击抄袭的维权行动也许至关重要。

As such and while other forms of protection do exist in some cases, certainty on this point is much needed for designers so they have all the legal tools possible to safeguard the creativity and uniqueness of their ground-breaking designs. It will be interesting to see if clarification will be provided by the courts on this important issue through any legal actions taken arising from this month’s shows in the UK and EU. More importantly, it will be fascinating to see if there is much needed consistency shown between EU and UK interspantation of the respective rights in each territory. Until clarification is given there is more value than ever before in designers seeking registered rather than just unregistered design protection to minimise the uncertainty. As an additional measure, designers could also look to ensure, during this time of uncertainty, that they collate a portfolio of evidence to substantiate their rights such as dates and methods of first publication as well as records of those attending or viewing their launch events, which could potentially span both UK and EU audiences. Evidence of this nature could be essential for future enforcement against copycat activity.

来源：IPRdaily中文网（iprdaily.cn）

供稿：麦仕奇知识产权

编辑：IPRdaily王颖          校对：IPRdaily纵横君

注：原文链接：聚焦伦敦时装周：设计在英国/欧盟的保护问题（点击标题查看原文）

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