On 1 May 2025, the first phase of reform of European design law entered into force. Regulation (EU) 2024/2822 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/73 together, as phase I, form part of a broader modernisation initiative (the so-called “Designs and Models Package”) being implemented in two phases.
The reform affects both the EU Design Regulation (EUDR) and the procedural practice of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), aiming to adapt the more than twenty year old system to the realities of digital business models and emerging technologies, such as 3D printing, virtual designs and modular products.