IN BRIEF
In mid-September, Dahon made public the outcome of a dispute that had set it against Brompton since Eurobike 2025: according to the manufacturer’s statement, the Oberlandesgericht (higher regional court) of Frankfurt am Main dismissed in its entirety, on 23 July, the preliminary injunction motion filed by the British brand. Still according to that statement, the appeal court found that the tri-fold bike shown by Dahon does not constitute an unfair imitation of Brompton’s folding bikes, and ordered the latter to bear the costs of the proceedings. At first instance, on 11 December 2025, the Landgericht (regional court) of Frankfurt had already rejected the design-related claims — Dahon having succeeded in rebutting the presumption of novelty of the European Union design relied on — but had ruled in Brompton’s favour on unfair competition grounds; it is this second point that the appeal overturned. This information comes from a press release issued by Dahon; according to SAZBike, Brompton initially declined to comment on the ruling.
This is a dispute that had gone quiet since the spring, and which resurfaces through the voice of the side that won it. In mid-September, Dahon announced that the German courts had settled its disagreement with Brompton — in its favour, on both claims. The information deserves to be read for what it is: one party’s account of a legal case: according to SAZBike, the other did not wish to comment at this stage.
A tri-fold bike shown at Eurobike 2025
The starting point goes back to the Eurobike 2025 show, where Dahon presented a folding bike able to fold in three. Brompton saw in it an infringement of its own folding-bike design and brought an action, seeking a preliminary injunction. Two claims were raised: infringement of a European Union design on the one hand, and unfair competition on the other.
This three-way fold is precisely what has built Brompton’s reputation for decades, and what explains the vigour of its reaction: the British folder stands out less for its components than for the choreography of its fold and the silhouette that results from it.
First instance: Brompton loses on design, wins on unfair competition
On 11 December 2025, the Landgericht of Frankfurt am Main had delivered a two-part ruling. On design grounds, it rejected Brompton’s claims: according to Dahon’s statement, the company had succeeded in rebutting the presumption of novelty and individual character — and therefore the validity — of the European Union design relied on. On unfair competition grounds, by contrast, the court sided with Brompton. Dahon appealed that second limb.
The appeal dismisses Brompton’s motion in its entirety
It is this assessment that the Oberlandesgericht of Frankfurt am Main is said to have overturned on 23 July 2026, dismissing Brompton’s preliminary injunction motion in its entirety. According to the account issued by Dahon, the court found that the tri-fold bike offered at the Eurobike 2025 show does not constitute an unfair imitation of Brompton’s folding bikes, and ordered the British manufacturer to bear the costs of the proceedings. The judgment is presented as final and brings the preliminary injunction proceedings to an end.
One clarification is needed about the scope of this outcome: these are urgent proceedings, intended to grant or refuse an immediate ban on sales. They are not to be confused with an action on the merits concerning the validity of the design or the extent of Brompton’s rights.
A ruling known only through Dahon’s account
That leaves the question of the source, and it weighs heavily. The details of the proceedings picked up by the German and British trade press come from a statement issued by Dahon through its agency, as SAZBike explicitly indicates, adding that Brompton initially declined to comment on the Frankfurt ruling. As of 20 September, we have not been able to consult any statement from the court itself, and the available sources do not mention a case number.
This is not the first time the two brands have met in court: back in 2017, according to SAZBike and bikebiz, Brompton brought a copyright infringement action against Dahon’s Curl model, before withdrawing it. Another front also remains open: according to bikebiz and SAZBike, a Düsseldorf court declined in 2026 to grant preliminary injunctions sought by Brompton against Dahon’s LUNDEN tri-fold range — the very one illustrating this article — but on purely procedural grounds, a lack of urgency, without ruling on the merits.
The convergence of the articles published in recent days therefore does not amount to corroboration: according to SAZBike, they rest on the same document. The case is no less significant for the folding bike market, where the Brompton silhouette stands as both a benchmark and a legal boundary.
