Mansory Design & Holding GmbH has been on both sides of major intellectual property litigation. The German luxury car customizer lost a landmark European Union design case to Ferrari in 2021 over a body kit that mimicked the Ferrari FXX K, and in May 2026 it turned plaintiff in a U.S. federal court, suing a Miami-area auto shop and a social media influencer accused of installing counterfeit Mansory body kits. The two Mansory lawsuits together map the legal fault lines of the high-end automotive aftermarket.
Ferrari’s Case Over the FXX K Body Kit
Ferrari began legal proceedings in Germany in 2016, alleging that Mansory’s “4XX Siracusa” body kit copied the design of the Ferrari FXX K, a track-only hypercar based on the LaFerrari and priced around $2.6 million.1Carscoops. Ferrari Wins EU Court Case Against Mansory for Copying the FXX K With the 4XX Siracusa The Siracusa was built to bolt onto the far more common Ferrari 488 GTB and reshape its front end to resemble the exclusive FXX K.
Ferrari’s complaint focused on the front of the car. It alleged Mansory copied the V-shaped section of the bonnet and the front bumper, including dual bumper intakes, a central element inspired by Formula 1 design, a carbon fiber splitter, and inlets on the bonnet.1Carscoops. Ferrari Wins EU Court Case Against Mansory for Copying the FXX K With the 4XX Siracusa Ferrari also claimed protection over a front lip spoiler and the overall appearance of the FXX K as a whole.2Fieldfisher. A Win for Ferrari and Owners of Community Unregistered Designs
Ferrari had never registered the individual design elements. It relied instead on unregistered Community design rights, which arise automatically under EU Regulation 6/2002 when a design is first disclosed publicly. Ferrari unveiled the FXX K by press release on December 2, 2014, and argued that this disclosure created protection not just for the whole car but for identifiable parts of it.3Mewburn Ellis. Ferrari v Mansory Design: CJEU Confirms Partial Designs May Be Protected as Unregistered Designs Mansory’s defense, which initially succeeded in the lower German courts, was that if Ferrari wanted protection for individual components, it should have disclosed those components separately.
The CJEU Ruling
On October 28, 2021, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in Ferrari’s favor in Case C-123/20. The court held that disclosing an image of an entire product can create unregistered Community design rights in its individual parts, without requiring the designer to publish each component separately. Requiring separate disclosure, the court reasoned, would be “overly onerous” and would undermine the point of the unregistered design system, which is meant to offer quick, informal protection against copying.4Carpmaels & Ransford. Ferrari SpA v Mansory Design: Protecting the Appearance of Part of a Product
The court did draw a line. To qualify for protection, a component part must be “clearly identifiable” in the disclosed image and must constitute a “visible section of the product or complex product, clearly defined by particular lines, contours, colours, shapes or texture.”2Fieldfisher. A Win for Ferrari and Owners of Community Unregistered Designs A design feature that blends into the whole car with no distinct visual identity would not qualify.
A Win With Little Left to Enforce
The CJEU sent the case back to the German courts to decide whether Ferrari’s specific claimed elements met the “clearly identifiable” standard.2Fieldfisher. A Win for Ferrari and Owners of Community Unregistered Designs But unregistered Community designs last only three years from the date of first public disclosure. Ferrari’s rights in the FXX K expired on December 3, 2017. By the time the appeals reached the highest courts, Ferrari had already narrowed its claim from an injunction to compensation because there was nothing left to enjoin.3Mewburn Ellis. Ferrari v Mansory Design: CJEU Confirms Partial Designs May Be Protected as Unregistered Designs
The case became more important as precedent than as remedy. IP commentators noted the ruling showed the limits of relying on unregistered designs and highlighted the value of filing registered Community designs, which can last up to 25 years and do not require proof of deliberate copying to establish infringement.5Marks & Clerk. Ferrari Proves Unregistered Community Designs Can Subsist in Parts of a Product
The Florida Counterfeit Body Kit Suit
In May 2026, Mansory took the plaintiff’s chair. On May 18, Mansory Design & Holding GmbH and its U.S. distributor, EMC of Miami, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against social media influencer Jesse Frimpone (also known as Jesse Frimpong), a Miami-area shop called 305 Auto Customs Inc., and the shop’s owner, Mehdi Mourtaj.6Bloomberg Law. Influencer’s Lamborghini Mods Draw Mansory Trademark Lawsuit
According to the complaint, the defendants conspired to install counterfeit body kits bearing the “MANSORY” name on Frimpone’s Lamborghini Urus, then used the modified vehicle and the Mansory trademark on social media to promote their businesses: Frimpone’s e-commerce courses and 305 Auto Customs’ modification services.6Bloomberg Law. Influencer’s Lamborghini Mods Draw Mansory Trademark Lawsuit
Mansory holds U.S. trademark registration No. 3534246 for the “MANSORY” mark, covering automobile accessories and structural parts including bumpers, spoilers, fenders, hoods, and wheel rims. The mark was filed in April 2007 and registered in November 2008.7Trademarkia. MANSORY Trademark Registration As of mid-2026, the case was in its early stages, with no reported rulings on the merits or public responses from the defendants.