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The subject of this thesis is the introduction to legal protection of industrial design at EU level through Community design, and comparison of Community design with other types of legal protection available. The thesis is divided into two parts. The first part explains the terms 'design' and 'Community design', while the second part compares Community design with other industrial design legal protection systems. The second part also provides a description of how both Community design and other legal protection systems may be applied concurrently. The first part opens with a definition of the term 'design', and then describes design's relation to intellectual property and industrial design rights. Afterwards, a brief overview of the legal regulation for industrial design protection at national, international, and EU level is presented, and a characterization of institutions that provide design protection at each of the levels, respectively, is given. The key element of the first part of the thesis is a detailed analysis of Community design. The terms 'registered' and 'unregistered Community design' are thoroughly defined, and their common features as well as differences are described. Furthermore, conditions necessary for Community design registration are listed. Finally, a description of the...