Design protection in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland and Sweden)

In the early 1970s, the Nordic countries (in the following Denmark, Finland, and Sweden) had already adopted similar Design Acts. This pan-Nordic legal model was part of the inspiration for the ‘Design Approach’ which constitutes the backbone of the current EU design system. Under the current system, these Nordic countries have in use the combination of national design protection and EU-wide design protection. The first part of this chapter provides a closer look on the national design right systems in these countries. In many ways these national systems are similar if not identical to each other, but there are also differences. It is also noteworthy that these countries belong to the group of EU countries that do not have a so-called ‘repair clause’. In the latter part of the chapter we discuss the current situation, trends and problems.