- European Union Intellectual Property Office declared the Chinese product as invalid
- Chinese vehicle copied the Vespa Primavera
- Vehicle was showcased at EICMA 2019
Piaggio Group has announced that a design registered by a Chinese party, used to justify the production of scooters similar to the Vespa, has been declared invalid by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
The invalidity division of EUIPO annulled the registration since it was “incapable of eliciting a different general impression with respect to the registered design” of the Vespa Primavera. The EUIPO further stated that the registration was an unlawful attempt to reproduce the scooter’s aesthetic elements.
The vehicles from the Chinese party were exhibited at the EICMA 2019 in Milan but they were removed by the authorities after a complaint was lodged by Piaggio. The Vespa Primavera is protected by the design registered by the Piaggio Group in 2013.
The invalidity proceedings are part of the wider activities against counterfeiting undertaken by the Piaggio Group for years. The company is continuously monitoring the databases of internationally registered designs and trademarks, which has led to the cancellation of more than 50 trademarks registered by third parties in the last two years.
Back in India, Piaggio Group has resumed manufacturing operations, reopened dealerships. The operations were temporarily halted due to the nation-wide lockdown that was aimed to curb the Coronavirus pandemic in the country.
