Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
D

DOCERAM GmbH v. CeramTec GmbH

C-395/16 (2018)

From our private database of 46,500+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

DOCERAM GmbH v. CeramTec GmbH

European Union Court of Justice
C-395/16 (2018)

Facts

DOCERAM GmbH (plaintiff) manufactured weld-centering pins whose designs were registered with the European Union, providing patent-like protection. CeramTec GmbH (defendant) made and sold pins of the same design. DOCERAM brought an infringement action against CeramTec in the Düsseldorf regional court. CeramTec counterclaimed for invalidity of the designs, citing a regulation against protection for any design that was dictated purely by the technical function of the product. The court agreed with CeramTec’s argument and dismissed the action. DOCERAM appealed to the higher regional court, arguing that the existence of alternative designs for weld-centering pins was sufficient to prove that the product’s appearance was not solely dictated by technical concerns. Unsure how to proceed, the regional court referred the matter to the European Union Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Per curiam)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 832,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,500 briefs - keyed to 994 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Intellectual Property

Key Terms