Armonización europea del concepto “usuario informado” en el ámbito los diseños de sistemas modulares

Case C-211/24, opposing LEGO and the Hungarian company Pozitív Energiaforrás Kft., raises key issues concerning the protection of industrial designs applied to compatible modular systems. The dispute has enabled the Court of Justice of the European Union to clarify the scope of Article 8(3) of the Designs Regulation (the so-called “LEGO exception”), within the framework of the reform introduced by Regulation (EU) 2024/2822, which amends Regulation (EC) No 6/2002. In its judgment of 4 September 2025, the Court confirms that LEGO bricks do not benefit from a privileged regime: the classic criteria for assessing design protection relating to the “informed user”, the “overall impression”, and the “designer’s degree of freedom” remain fully applicable to modular products. The Court also delineates the scope of the “special reasons” under Article 89(1) CDR, emphasising their exceptional nature and strict interpretation in the context of remedies for design infringement. The decision constitutes a milestone in the European harmonisation of design law, strengthening legal certainty both for holders of modular system designs and for operators marketing compatible components, by clarifying the limits of protection and market conduct.