Technogym Fitness Equipment Design Has Been Infringed Upon

  On May 8, 2024, the Brescia District Court in Italy made an important ruling on a case involving fitness equipment design infringement, which attracted widespread attention from the global fitness equipment industry. In the case, the three defendants were found by the court to have infringed Technogym's EU and internationally registered design rights by using or selling imitation equipment that was very similar to the "Purestrength", "Selection" and "Selection Pro" series of Italian high-end fitness brand Technogym in their gyms or through online channels. ​
  As the world's top fitness equipment manufacturer, Technogym was founded in 1983, headquartered in Italy, and has 14 branches around the world. It has long provided official sports equipment for the Olympic Games, and has also established cooperative relationships with many world-renowned sports clubs such as AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and F1 teams such as Ferrari, providing professional sports training equipment and services, and has a very high reputation and influence in the industry.​
  In its judgment, the court explicitly prohibited the defendant from continuing to use, promote and sell these infringing devices, and ordered it to permanently withdraw the relevant devices from the market. In addition, the court ruled that if the defendant violated the ban, he would be fined 1,000 euros for each infringement. ​

  In terms of infringement determination, the court pointed out that the fitness equipment used and sold by the defendant was highly similar to Technogym's registered designs (EUIPO design number 002438937 - 0001 /- 0002, etc.) in visual presentation. The defendant had argued that the equipment was different in size, weight and color, trying to prove the uniqueness of the product, but the court believed that these factors were not the core components of design protection and therefore rejected the defendant's defense. At the same time, the court emphasized that even if the defendant claimed that he "did not know that the product was infringing", it could not constitute a reason for exemption. ​

  This case is not the first time that Technogym has successfully defended its rights. Previously, in the Chinese market, Technogym had also filed a lawsuit for patent infringement and won. For example, in a lawsuit involving the infringement of the design patent of "exercise equipment (treadmill)" with Shandong Lande Fitness Technology Co., Ltd., the Shandong Provincial High People's Court rejected Shandong Lande's appeal in the final instance and ruled that its infringement was established. In another dispute over infringement of the design patent right with Shandong Tianzhan Fitness Equipment Co., Ltd., the Jinan Intermediate People's Court and the Shandong High People's Court finally determined that the accused infringing treadmill products produced, sold, and promised to be sold by the defendant Tianzhan Company fell within the scope of protection of the patent right involved in the case, and Technogym's rights protection claims were supported. ​
  The judgment of the Italian court not only once again demonstrated Technogym's determination and strength to resolutely defend its intellectual property rights, but also sounded the alarm for global fitness equipment manufacturers. In the EU market, design rights have extremely strong legal effect, and design compliance issues cannot be ignored. For companies that plan to enter or have already conducted business in the EU market, respecting the intellectual property rights of others, strengthening the innovation and protection of their own designs, and establishing a sound intellectual property management system are important guarantees for the company's sustainable development and participation in international competition. ​
  With the continuous development of the global fitness market, the competition in the fitness equipment industry is becoming increasingly fierce, and the importance of intellectual property protection is becoming more and more prominent. Only through legal and compliant innovation can enterprises gain long-term competitive advantages in the market and avoid legal risks and loss of business reputation due to infringement. The judgment of the Technogym infringement dispute case will undoubtedly have a far-reaching impact on the improvement of intellectual property protection awareness and compliance management of enterprises in the industry.