Puffer Jacket G-Class

In celebration of London Fashion Week, Mercedes has released a one-off concept vehicle based on its G-class 4x4 in the style of... a puffer jacket... marooned in the arctic... on the moon?! Whilst it is unclear whether the over-sized pillow-like wheels will provide improved cornering, it is certainly indisputable that the design is eye-catching. 

Until this moment, there was not very much to say about the part of the Venn diagram caught between puffer jacket and high-end off-road vehicle design. However, in coming up with something completely new it is worth noting that Mercedes could claim reasonably broad protection for the puffer G-Class in a registered design. This means that any other car makers looking to copy Mercedes' stunt might find themselves locked out, even if the vehicle and jacket designs are quite different in construction.

Ok, it is unlikely that a 'real' version will ever hit the roads, and therefore it might well be asked why registered design protection would even be necessary? However, unlike trade marks or patents, registered designs aren't restricted to a single type of product specified in a classification or a claim. By contrast, registered designs protect against anything that fails to produce a different overall impression. Accordingly, Mercedes could protect against copies in any form. This might protect merchandising lines including models, remote-controlled cars, pin badges, etc. Moreover, Mercedes' protection could even reach into the digital world and protect against NFT copies, or cover the use of a similar vehicle in a computer game (in which, it must be said, the combination of the individual design elements seems to make the most sense!).

So, the take home? If you're grabbing headlines by doing something striking and new, don't forget to think about the protection you might be entitled to. You might be surprised how far that goes!