Volkswagen defended the rights to the Beetle design

21 June 2019

The Volkswagen Group won a court heiress of the designer of the Porsche

The Volkswagen Group has won a court case about copyright, the excited daughter Team Erwin is an Austrian automotive designer, who participated in the design of the iconic VW Beetle (VW Type 1).

The German court found that the basis of the appearance of even the early VW Beetle the merits of the Ernst Team no below nor argued his heirs

  Daughter Team wanted to obtain monetary compensation for the role played by her father in the success of the iconic Volkswagen for more than 70 years of production. Napomnyu that the original rear-engined model Kdf38/11 VW/VW 1200-1500 was produced from 1938 to 2003, and the front-drive New Beetle, produced from 1998 – ed.
The daughter of designer demanded €5 million ($5.7 million) in compensation for the termination of deductions from 2014, the car "beetle", allegedly due to the onset of the period of limitation for copyright.

To the 20th anniversary of the New Beetle model and the 80th anniversary of its iconic ancestor, the VW Beetle (Fusca) was released exclusive series Beetle GSR 

She claimed that even the latest models of the New Beetle still has the design elements developed by her father, previously used in three generations of cars "beetle", which has sold more than 22 million copies (base model 21 529 464 cars – ed.) since the beginning of its mass production after world war II that became one of the main components of the postwar "German economic miracle", leading Germany among the leading industrial countries of the world.
The court of the German city of Brunswick studied the drawings According c images of the original design of the "Bug", but decided that it looks like other cars of the time.
The court decision also stated that plaintiff was unable to prove that her father took part in the simulation of car design Volkswagen KdF38 – the model on which was based the design and shape of the postwar rear-engined VW Beetle. It is recognized that KdF38 was developed and produced in 1938 by Ferdinand Porsche.

The range convertible VW Beetle (1948-1980. and with 2000 years)

The court decision States that it rejected any claim to the copyright of the sketches of the original Beetle, made Headquarters. Daughter this court is not called.
By the way, last year the Volkswagen Group said it will end production of the Beetle at its factory in the Mexican city of Puebla in July 2019.

background: of the Austrian automotive designer and designer Erwin Komenda (1904-1966), began working in the automotive industry since the 1920s (in particular firm Steyr), and from 1931 until the end of his life worked as a head of design to his great countryman, the great car designer Ferdinand Porsche under whose leadership participated in the development of Volkswagen "people's car" Kdf38, who after the Second world war cult "Volkswagen Beetle".

One of the world's first automotive designers – Austrian Erwin Komenda (1904-1966) in his youth and in his Mature years

After the war, freed from the persecution of the winners for full participation in the projects of the Nazis, Komenda, while his patron Porsche toiled in the French sharashka, directly developed racing Сшsitalia model and the prototype Porsche Type 370 (in later years was embodied as the Typ 530).

The design of the first Roadster Porsche Type 356 was fully developed in 1948 by Erwin Headquarters

  return F. Porsche from prison, Komenda worked in the newly established the Porsche firm as chief designer and developed the look and interior parts such legendary sports cars as the Porsche Type 356 (including all subsequent restyling this model), Type 550 Spider, Type 540 "Speedster" and prototypes T7 and T8 which form the basis of the iconic 911 Type.

The iconic Hollywood star James Dean in his Porsche Roadster Type 550 Spider 1955 years, which he soon crashed

By the way, the author of the famous emblem of the "Cross Porsche" also belongs to Komende. He also owns numerous patents that formed the basis of such legendary cars as Volkswagen 1200 (Beetle) and the Porsche 356. In 1955 he Ferdinand Porsche called him "chief engineer" for his company Porsche. Komenda passed away suddenly in August 1966, leaving the family a substantial inheritance (besides its own developments, sketches, and patents).

P. P. S. Trial of protracted – and even Volkswagen with all its legal apparatus have achieved final right to design forms "Bug" only at the very end of production has machines of new generation (on the platform of the VW Golf)..