PhD Candidate Spyros Sipetas Wins 2025 CM Law Review Prize
Spyros Sipetas, PhD candidate in Private Law at Stockholm University, has been awarded the 2025 Common Market Law Review Prize for Young Academics. The prize recognises outstanding research in the field of EU law by early-career scholars.
The award was granted for his article “Upcycling and trade mark use under EU law”, which examines the upcycling phenomenon through the lens of EU trade mark law against the background of its growing role in extending product lifecycles and reducing waste in the fashion industry. By revisiting the notion of “use” and conceptualising it as an analytical filter, the article demonstrates how the existing legal framework can accommodate genuine circular-economy practices while still addressing parasitic conduct. The study places trade mark law in a broader context of sustainability, product lifecycles, and waste reduction.
The research was conducted under the supervision of Eleonora Rosati, Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Stockholm University. The 2025 prize was jointly awarded to Franca Maria Feisel (Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law).
About the awardee
%201768553423877.jpeg)
Photo: Private
Spyros Sipetas is a PhD candidate in Private Law at Stockholm University, specialising in Intellectual Property Law. His research examines the role of IP rights in the fashion industry, with a particular focus on sustainability. Prior to his doctoral studies, Spyros earned his law degree at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2016–2020) and completed master’s programmes in Industrial Property and Competition Law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2021–2022) and in European Intellectual Property Law at Stockholm University (2023–2024). He is also a Greek-qualified lawyer (Athens, 2022) with professional experience in both private law firms and the Hellenic Competition Commission.
We are very proud of Spyros Sipetas and the international attention his research has received. The award represents an important recognition of both the quality of his work and the research in Intellectual Property and EU law carried out at SU Law. We congratulate Spyros and look forward to following his continued academic contributions.
Last updated: 2026-01-16
Source: Department of Law