Design protection and enforcement via copyright

Milan, 30 November 2026

On 30 November, LES Italia will bring one of the most topical and widely debated issues in intellectual property law to the table: the protection of designs through copyright, in light of the Court of Justice of the European Union’s recent ruling in the Mio/Konektra case and the recast of the EU Design Directive.

The programme promises a high-level discussion, beginning with an overview of the applicable legal framework and case law by Eleonora Rosati (Stockholm University) and Michael Ritscher (MLL Legal Ltd), followed by a comparative perspective on Italy, the Netherlands and Germany, with contributions from Giovanni Guglielmetti (BonelliErede), Tobias Cohen Jeoram (De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek) and Henning Hartwig (Bardehle Pagenberg). The event will conclude with a panel featuring representatives from the business community — Flos, Prada and Fiam — exploring how these issues translate into practice in the lighting, furniture and luxury fashion industries.

This format brings together academic rigour and an industry perspective at a time when the boundary between design protection and copyright protection is becoming increasingly central to Made in Italy industries.

Attendance is free of charge and open exclusively to LES members, as well as faculty members and students of Politecnico di Milano.

Register for the event

Professionals interested in attending the event may consider joining LES Italia. The membership fee for those joining in the final four months of the year already covers the following year.

For further information: media@les-italy.org