What is a registered design?
Registered Design:
A registered design protects the external shape of the product. It gives the owner the right to stop anyone copying the external design of their product, within their geographical jurisdiction. In the US similar protection to that offered by registered design rights is referred to as a design patent.
Why do I need to register a design?
If you have applied for a patent then a registered design can add a secondary form of protection to further protect your product. A registered design is processed much quicker than a patent so can provide more immediate protection in the short term.
Sometimes a registered designs are more relevant than a patent and can better protect the product (i.e. a new shape for a chair). This can stop other people copying a unique design.
Important information about how to register a design
A registered design will protect a particular design in any particular category you choose to register under (known as Locarno classifications) ie. if you want to register a star shaped hat you would protect this shape under the ‘hat’ classification.
The best images to submit are professional computer-generated 2D black and white line drawings.
If you want to patent your product, applying for a registered design MUST be done AFTER the patent has been applied for.
How much will design registration cost?
The cost for a UK registered design application is approximately £60
We would generally advise to apply for a Community Registered Design, which covers you in over 30 European countries, as this only costs approximately 350EUROS and is therefore more cost effective.
It is fairly straight forward to apply for registered designs, but should you need someone to apply on your behalf or assist with the application there will be additional costs.
How do I apply for a registered design?
To apply for a UK Registered Design you must complete and send the relevant forms to the UK Intellectual Property Office with the application fee.
You can also now apply online to the UKIPO.
To apply for a Community Registered Design you must complete and send the relevant forms to the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) in Alicante, Spain. You must also pay the application fee NB. OHIM do not accept cheques.
You can also now apply online for a Community Registered Design through the OHIM website.
How can Innovate help me register a design?
Innovate can help design and prepare images for registering the design of your product. For more information on this see Idea Development…
Innovate are able to complete the community registered design application for you and help you maximise your protection. This involves completing all forms so all you need to do is sign and send on to OHIM. For more information on this, please call to discuss design registration with one of our Client Managers.