Vespa loses legal battle against Kumpan

Kumpan’s electric scooters may evoke Vespa, but the European Union Intellectual Property Office believes there is no reason to condemn the German brand.

Powerless against Chinese copies, Vespa can be more aggressive with its European competitors. The Italian brand even filed a lawsuit against the German manufacturer Kumpan, judging that their scooters were too inspired by its own in terms of design. The dispute led to the intervention of Italian police, who confiscated all Kumpan scooters during the 2018 EICMA fair in Milan.

Unfortunately for Vespa, the court ruled against it. After initially siding with Kumpan, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) confirmed its decision on appeal. Vespa now has two weeks to attempt one last appeal. After this period, the decision will be final.

Kumpan – Vespa: Reconciliation Soon?

“This long legal battle has mobilized enormous resources and has excluded us from the Italian market, one of the most important in Europe”, said Mr. Tykesson, one of Kumpan’s founders. “We would be happy to have the opportunity to meet the Piaggio family as soon as possible, ideally before the next EICMA fair in November, to de-escalate any future disputes and move forward together on sustainable transportation issues.”

A hand extended, which struggles to hide Kumpan’s desire for revenge. The company claims that this court decision changes the game not only for itself but also for all scooter brands. According to them, it is now clear that a retro model is not necessarily a copy of Piaggio. To support their argument, Kumpan cites lawyer Matthias Wagner, a specialist in these matters. According to him, “the EUIPO decision shows that Piaggio does not have exclusive rights over retro scooter designs”.

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