We are delighted to start 2015 with good news: Spark has been selected to perform a review on industrial design protection in the EU with our partners Time.lex, Queen Mary University of London, and Indigov. The study, commissioned by European Commission’s DG MARKT, will examine the implementation and application of the Design Directive in Member States as well as the unitary system under the Design Regulation. This is with a view to assess whether the current legal framework has met its objectives and whether it contributes to the smooth functioning of the internal market with regards to goods embodying designs, taking into account recent technical progress. We look forward to working with an esteemed network of design experts in the legal and academic fields across the EU28. For further information, inquiries regarding EU intellectual property law and details on the scope of our work, contact info@sparkleganetwork.eu.

Together with our partners Ecorys and Houthoff Buruma, Spark has started a new project for the Dutch Ministry of Finance on the impact of the Dutch Public Procurement Act 2012, looking at the effect of changes to the law on the cost of public procurement.

Spark and Time.lex have been selected for another European Commission DG CONNECT study, this time on the ePrivacy Directive. Together with our excellent team of legal experts, we will assess the transposition, effectiveness, and compatibility of the Directive with the proposed Data Protection Regulation across the EU.