知识产权和新的欧盟包装法规

欧盟目前即将完成有关包装和包装废弃物的新立法，其规定欧盟产品的制造商和进口商有义务最大限度地减少产品包装的体积和重量，并减少包装废弃物。为了环境可持续性，任何不符合这些要求的产品包装将被禁止。这些措施旨在增加包装中回收材料的使用，特别是回收材料利用非常低的塑料包装，还旨在提高所有包装的回收率。

The European Union is now close to finalising new legislation on packaging and packaging waste, placing an obligation on manufacturers and importers of products in the EU to minimise the volume and weight of product packaging, and to reduce packaging waste. In the interests of environmental sustainability, any product packaging that does not comply with these requirements is prohibited. The measures aim to increase the use of recycled content in packaging, especially in plastic packaging where the uptake of recycled content is very low, as well as higher recycling rates for all packaging.

这些要求适用于产品包装的组成和体积。到 2030 年 1 月 1 日，制造商或进口商必须确保投放市场的任何包装的设计，在考虑到包装的形状和材料的情况下，被设计成使其重量和体积减少到实现其目的所需的最低限度，并使包装能够尽可能多次重复使用或回收利用。

The requirements apply both to the composition and volume of the product packaging. By 1 January 2030, the manufacturer or importer must ensure that any packaging placed on the market is designed so that its weight and volume is reduced to the minimum necessary to serve its purpose, taking into account the shape and material of the packaging, and so as to allow for the packaging to be re-used as many times as possible or recycled.

无论在何处需要包装，该包装的设计、制造和商业化都应当允许其再使用或高质量的再循环，并在其整个生命周期和为其设计的产品的生命周期内最小化其对环境的影响。

Wherever packaging is required, that packaging should be designed, manufactured and commercialised in such a way as to allow for its re-use or high-quality recycling, and to minimise its impact on the environment during its entire life-cycle and the life cycle of the products for which it was designed. 

这为制造商在包装设计上的创新并通过使用这种创新包装来区分他们的产品打开了潜力。相应地，任何这种创新的包装设计都应当使用合适的知识产权保护形式来进行恰当的保护，无论是通过专利保护创造性的包装形状或创造性的包装方法，商标保护创新的产品装饰，还是注册外观专利保护新颖的产品包装的视觉外观。

This opens up the potential for manufacturers to be innovative in their packaging design, and to distinguish their products through the use of such innovative packaging. In turn, any such innovative packaging designs should be properly protected using the appropriate form of intellectual property protection, whether this is via patents protecting an inventive form of packaging or an inventive packaging process, trade marks protecting the innovate get-up of the product, or registered designs protecting the visual appearance of novel product packaging.

为了刺激该领域的创新，具有能够显著改善包装核心功能的创新特征并且具有明显环境益处的包装将获得额外三年的时间以满足可回收性要求。

In order to stimulate innovation in this area, packaging which presents innovative features resulting in significant improvement in the core function of the packaging and has demonstrable environmental benefits, will be given an additional period of three years in which to comply with the recyclability requirements.

然而，必须在包装随附的技术文档中解释创新特征和计划建立的回收路径，并且在将该“创新包装”投放市场之前必须通知委员会和主管部门。

The innovative features and the planned establishment of a recycling path must however be explained in the technical documentation accompanying the packaging, and the Commission and the competent authority must be informed before placing this “innovative packaging” on the market. 

还值得注意的是，新法规将不适用于某些包装设计（包括一次性包装和被设计成增加产品的感知体积的包装，例如，双层壁、假底和不必要的层），前提是该包装设计受到以下形式的保护：

It is also important to note that the new Regulation will not apply to certain packaging designs (including single use packaging and packaging designed to increase the perceived volume of the product, such as double walls, false bottoms, and unnecessary layers) provided that the packaging design is protected:

• 欧洲共同体外观设计，

  by a European Community design,

  
  

• 三维欧盟商标，或

  as a three dimensional EU trade mark, or

  
  

• 受保护的地理标志。

  as a protected geographical indication.

然而，该例外仅适用于法规生效日期之前就受到保护的外观设计和商标，我们预计该法规将于2025年初生效。

However, this exemption applies only to designs and trade marks protected prior to the date of entry into force of the Regulation, which we expect to be in early 2025. 

此外，只有在将该法规应用于该产品包装会改变注册外观设计的新颖性或个性特征，或影响商标从而使其不再能够将有关商品与其他企业的商品区分开来时，该例外才适用。

Furthermore, the exception will only apply if application of the Regulation to that product packaging will alter the novelty or individual character of the registered design, or affect the trade mark such that it is no longer capable of distinguishing the goods in question from those of other businesses.

对于那些已经开发出有价值的产品包装，并希望继续使用但它可能与新法规有冲突的企业，我们建议在新法规生效前研究是否可以为这些包装获得注册外观设计或商标保护。之后，包装则可能会落入法规中规定的知识产权例外的情形。

For businesses that have developed valuable product packaging that they wish to continue to use moving forward, and which might fall foul of the new Regulation, we would recommend investigating whether registered design or trade mark protection can be secured for such packaging before the Regulation comes into force. The packaging might then fall within the IP exception to the Regulation.

在过去12个月内已经向公众公开的任何新包装设计都可能仍然有资格获得注册外观设计保护，因为所谓的“宽限期”允许新设计在注册外观设计保护获得之前在市场上进行测试。同样，任何独特的包装都可能适合注册商标保护，尽管商标的注册可能比注册外观设计需要更长的时间——欧盟注册外观设计通常在提交申请后几周内进行注册，而欧盟商标从提交申请到注册一般需要5-6个月。

Any new packaging designs that have been made available to the public within the last 12 months might still qualify for registered design protection by virtue of the so-called “grace period” that enables new designs to be tested on the market before registered design protection is secured. Equally, any distinctive packaging may be suitable for registered trade mark protection, although registration of a trade mark is likely to take longer than a registered design – EU registered designs generally proceed to registration within a matter of weeks from filing, whereas EU trade marks will generally take 5-6 months from filing to reach registration.

另一方面，新法规确实为企业提供了一个机会，让他们考虑新的和创新性的产品包装设计，这些设计本身可能需要知识产权保护，并将其产品与竞争对手区分开来。因此，我们鼓励制造商考虑这些新设计是否可获得专利、注册外观设计或商标保护，从而在市场上提供进一步的竞争优势。

On the other hand, the new Regulation does provide an opportunity for businesses to consider new and innovative product packaging designs that may themselves warrant IP protection and distinguish their products from competitors. As such, we would encourage manufacturers to consider whether those new designs may benefit from patent, registered design or trade mark protection, so as to provide a further competitive advantage in the market.

该法规将如何影响欧盟和其他地区的企业，企业考虑到该法规将如何调整其知识产权战略，以及其他国家是否会为了环境可持续性而采取类似的立法，这些都有待观察。

It remains to be seen how the Regulation will impact businesses in the EU and elsewhere, how businesses will adapt their IP strategies to take the Regulation into account, and whether other countries will adopt similar legislation in the interests of environmental sustainability.

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联系作者 Contact the author

Valérie Corbiau: vcorbiau@marks-clerk.com

Michael Shaw: mshaw@marks-clerk.com