EUIPO

Preparing for tomorrow’s International Museum Day? Museums are more than valuable collections; they’re part of our history and culture. Every museum piece tells a story that began as someone’s original idea, reflecting creativity across different periods and forms of expression. Protection helps ensure that creativity, both past and present, is credited and preserved in the right way. And we're not only talking about statues and canvases: even the museum's logos and names can be protected through trade marks, like the Musée d’Orsay’s iconic logo, designed by Jean Widmer. Copyright plays a key role in protecting artworks during the lifetime of creators and beyond. In Europe, this protection is time‑limited, allowing works to enter the public domain once copyright expires. Public domain artworks can then be freely accessed, shared and reinterpreted, ensuring that cultural heritage remains open, alive and available for future generations. To learn more about how copyright works in practice, explore the EUIPO Copyright Knowledge Centre! https://www.euipo.europa.eu/en/copyright-knowledge-centre

The Eurovision Song Contest was first held in 1956 and is built on original musical works created for broadcast across Europe, each relying on intellectual property rights to be shared, reproduced and protected across borders. 🔹The Eurovision opening theme is registered as an EU sound mark. The music was composed in the 17th century by Marc Antoine Charpentier, rediscovered in 1954, and later adopted as the contest’s broadcast theme. 🔹Artists and organisers have increasingly relied on IP to protect their creative identities. Internationally established performers such as ABBA and Céline Dion, as well as Eurovision winners like Lordi and Måneskin, use EU trade mark registrations to safeguard creative identity, support professional activity and ensure legal certainty across borders. 🔹Copyright also plays a central role in Eurovision. Song lyrics and musical compositions are protected as original works, while live performances and broadcasts involve related rights linked to performance, recording and audiovisual fixation. Together, these rights ensure that creative contributions can be lawfully broadcast, reproduced and reused beyond the live event.

Every May, all eyes turn to the red carpet in Festival de Cannes… and to who will get a Palme d’Or this year. What we usually don’t see is the behind the scenes: IP is part of every step in creating and distributing films. 🔹 The name “Festival de Cannes” and the festival’s iconic logo are protected as EU trade marks, securing their use and recognition across the EU. 🔹 The city itself is also part of the picture: the name “Cannes” is protected through three EU trade marks owned by the municipality (owner name: Ville de Cannes), reinforcing its identity as a brand. And, of course, everything surrounding cinema is rooted in IP: 🔹 Trade marks protect movie titles, franchises, iconic characters, and even the names of actors and directors. 🔹 Copyright ensures composers and performers get credit for the songs you can’t stop humming and protects original scores from copies and unwanted commercial use. 🔹 Design rights can cover costume creations, turning fashion into protected creative assets.

Sabrina Carpenter didn’t just grow up on screen, she shaped her own space in the music industry, building a career that’s entirely hers, and that’s no coincidence. Should we give you a house tour?😉 🔹”Sabrina Carpenter” is a trade mark, just like her album “Short n’ Sweet” is in the process of becoming one. 🔹One of her most iconic lyrics, “that’s that me espresso” is also a registered trade mark, protecting her from any copycats 🔹 Her songs, music videos and albums are all protected by copyright. 🔹 Trade marks also protect her banding and any merchandising or cosmetics she sells. But, what do we call IP? Definitely not “useless”! Sabrina is sure about this, and for that matter, she won’t be getting any bad reviews soon. And yes, yesterday was her birthday 🎂✨.

A decade of design that made a difference. As the DesignEuropa Awards celebrate their 10th anniversary, we look back at the product design winners who have shaped the journey so far. Across the years, these creations have redefined how we live, move and interact with the world around us, combining innovation, functionality and purpose. Ten years on, one idea remains constant: design has the power to improve lives.

This weekend, the EUIPO opened its doors for Europe Day, welcoming visitors to discover how this EU agency works and the values it promotes: innovation, creativity and cooperation across Europe. Through interactive exhibitions, hands-on workshops and family-friendly activities, guests explored how ideas are protected and brought to life. The programme also featured a Europe Day concert at ADDA, where classical music set the tone, and a beach volley tournament in San Juan, bringing a shared weekend with the local community to a close. Take a look at some highlights from the weekend! Thank you to everyone who joined us and made it such a vibrant celebration of Europe.

9 May marks the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration and the beginning of the European project. Today, Europe is an space where ideas, creativity and innovation are protected and can grow. Here are a few facts linking IP and the EU: ™️ The EU, represented by the European Commission, owns more than 80 EU trade marks and designs registered at the EUIPO. The European Parliament holds 6 EU trade marks, including initiatives such as Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe, as well as institutional logos. 🎶 The European anthem comes from the Ninth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, based on Friedrich von Schiller’s Ode to Joy. Adopted in 1985, it has no lyrics and reflects shared European values of freedom, peace and solidarity. 🇪🇺 The European flag, selected through a public process in the 1950s, features 12 stars symbolising unity, not Member States. It was officially adopted in 1985. 💡 The European emblem can be used by anyone, provided the conditions agreed with the Council of Europe are respected. 🇪🇸 Based in Alicante, the EUIPO has spent more than 30 years supporting businesses, creators and innovators across Europe. Since 1994, it has registered millions of EU trade marks and designs, helping ideas move from concept to market. Europe, built on ideas. Protected by IP!

IP is not from a galaxy far, far away… it’s right here. What began as a science-fiction story by George Lucas in 1977 has grown into one of the most powerful entertainment empires ever created. From films and series to books, games, comics and merchandising, Star Wars turned storytelling into a global universe. And behind that universe? Intellectual property doing the heavy lifting. Copyright protects the stories, characters and soundtracks. Trade marks safeguard iconic names and identities. Design rights help protect the look and feel of a galaxy we all recognise instantly. Today, more than 80 EU trade marks help protect the franchise across the EU, including: ◼️ Obi-Wan Kenobi ◼️ Skywalker ◼️ Princess Leia ◼️ Darth Vader ◼️ Chewbacca ◼️ Han Solo Because even in a galaxy of heroes and villains… IP is the real force behind it all. May the 4th be with you ✨

Some designs don’t need a logo to be recognised. Back in May 1975, Volkswagen introduced models that would go on to shape everyday mobility across Europe. But beyond performance or innovation, something else made them stand out: their distinctive look. A few facts behind it: 🔹 Its IP portfolio includes 116 figurative marks and 655 registered designs, showing how identity goes beyond just one form of protection 🔹 Volkswagen holds 21 active 3D trade mark registrations, protecting the three-dimensional appearance of its vehicles, including their overall look, shape and proportions. Unlike traditional trade marks, these don’t rely on words or symbols. They rely on something simpler: recognition. When a design is familiar, you just know.

Improvisation is the soul of jazz. Copyright helps protect the music it creates. Jazz is built on spontaneity. Musicians explore melodies, rhythms and harmonies in real time, shaping music that may never be played exactly the same way again. 🔹In the EU, copyright arises automatically once an original musical work is created and reflects the author’s own intellectual creation. Even when music begins with improvisation, the creativity behind it can still be protected. When performances are recorded or shared online, copyright helps ensure that the music can be reproduced, distributed and communicated while recognising the creator’s rights. 🔹Music is also about identity. Artist names, venues and festivals can be protected as trade marks. Examples in the EU trade mark register include names such as Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock, iconic jazz venues like Ronnie Scott’s and Birdland, and even major jazz festivals. On #WorldJazzDay, intellectual property helps keep the music playing. Learn all about Copyright on the EUIPO Copyright Knoledge Center!

Dance is movement, but choreography is creation. While individual dance steps are not protected, an original choreographic composition may qualify as a copyright work when it reflects creative choices in structure, sequence and expression. In the EU, original choreographic works may be protected by copyright when they reflect the author’s own intellectual creation and are expressed in an identifiable form, for example when recorded. Unlike other IP rights, copyright protection arises automatically once the work is created. When a choreography is recorded on video, the performance is fixed in a format that can be reproduced, shared or licensed, helping choreographers and performers manage and protect their creative work. On #InternationalDanceDay, we celebrate the creativity, talent and artistic expression behind every choreography. To explore how copyright works across the European Union, visit the EUIPO Copyright Knowledge Centre. 💃Perfomance by @wondy_fab18 , @araitz_lasa & @angelawaidele @otradanza

As fans follow major sporting events around the world, such as the Australian Open 2026 and the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, and with the FIFA Club World Cup approaching this June, the sports sector continues to face challenges linked to illegal streaming and counterfeit sporting goods. According to EUIPO data, 12% of EU citizens access sports content through illegal online sources, rising to 27% among young people aged 15–24. Streaming is the most common method, accounting for 58% of online piracy in the EU, compared with 32% via downloads. Illegal IPTV services offering pirated broadcasts have also expanded in recent years, reflecting continued demand for unauthorised streaming. Counterfeit sports equipment is another major concern. Fake sporting goods cost manufacturers around €850 million annually in the EU and may pose risks when products fail to meet safety and quality standards. These trends threaten the financing of sport, as revenues from legitimate broadcasts and official products support sports organisations and athletes. On World IP Day, the EUIPO highlights how intellectual property helps protect the sports ecosystem, while its European Observatory continues to monitor piracy and counterfeiting and promote legal content and authentic products. Foul play. The high cost of IP infringement in sports.