We are pleased to share that GUELL IP has successfully represented Vitra in a key copyright and unfair competition case concerning furniture design.
On 24 January 2025, the Appeal Court of Barcelona granted copyright protection to Vitra’s iconic designs by Eames, Nelson, Panton, and Noguchi. Upholding Vitra’s claims, the court ruled against a Spanish-based company that had been selling replica designs online across multiple EU countries. In a decisive judgment, the court confirmed both copyright infringement and unfair competition, ordering damages and legal costs.
The ruling underscores the originality of Vitra’s designs, affirming that they reflect the authors’ intellectual creation and creative choices, as established by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the Cofemel and Brompton cases. This decision strengthens the protection of original furniture designs and marks an important precedent for designers and rights holders.