Article 9 — Designs dictated by their technical function and designs of interconnections

1. An EU design shall not subsist in the features of the appearance of a product which are solely dictated by its technical function. 2. An EU design shall not subsist in the features of the appearance of a product which must necessarily be reproduced in their exact form and dimensions in order to permit the product into which the design is incorporated or to which it is applied to be mechanically connected to or placed in, around or against another product so that either product may perform its function. 3. Notwithstanding paragraph 2 of this Article, an EU design shall, under the conditions laid down in Articles 6 and 7, subsist in a design serving the purpose of allowing the multiple assembly or connection of mutually interchangeable products within a modular system.