Yesterday, 12 November 2026, the fourth edition of the Intellectual Property Seminar took place at the Facultatea de Drept, Universitatea din București. The event was jointly organised by the Intellectual Property Issues Working Group of the National Institute of Magistracy, the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest, and the Association for Intellectual Property Law.
This year’s edition focused on registered designs and the reform of the European design protection system under the new Directive.
The event brought together intellectual property specialists, representatives of European and national institutions, judges and legal practitioners, providing a valuable forum for in-depth analysis of legislative and case-law developments in this field.
The examination of case law – from the Court of Justice of the European Union, through the EUIPO – European Union Intellectual Property Office Boards of Appeal, to the Romanian courts – provided a solid foundation for the discussions on the reform of the European design system.
Warm thanks go to Judge Octavia Spineanu-Matei for her presentation on CJEU case law; Julie HAMEL for her contribution on the work of the EUIPO Boards of Appeal; Judges Roxana Vasile and Cristiana Mocanu of the Bucharest Court of Appeal, as well as Judge Andreea Constanda of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, for their presentations on Romanian case law.
Furthermore, Alice Postăvaru of the Romanian State Office for Inventions and Trademarks (OSIM), Professor Vladimir Diaconita and David Musker addressed the new provisions of the Directive and their implications for the protection of registered designs.
The final panel, moderated by Judge Ileana Tirică of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, brought together Ciprian Romitan, Iulia Burbea and David Musker. The discussions explored the scope of design rights and their relationship with other rights, freedom of expression, artistic creation and artificial intelligence.
We would like to thank all the speakers, moderators, organisers, partners and supporters who contributed to making this event possible, as well as the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest for hosting the seminar in the elegant Stoicescu Hall and providing excellent facilities.
