Designs

A registered design, a design patent and a design right all concern product appearance.  So we advise whether there may be rights in visual hallmarks of a product and how to protect those rights. 

Examples of products for which a designer may require rights in the product appearance to be protected include jewellery, illustrations, packaging, building architecture, clothing,  and a pattern on fabric.

Some rights in product appearance may be protected automatically by design right or copyright.  We advise on whether rights in appearance may be automatically protected or whether an official registration or patent may be required.  In particular we advise on  UK registered designs, international design applications, and United States design patents.

Some design rights which are automatic may be short lived or only enforceable in certain situations or countries.  Automatic design rights may be crucial for providing the designer with a jump start in design protection and for their low expense.

A registered design or design patent may be long lived and be enforceable in situations in which automatic design rights provide less protection.   A registered design or design patent may be obtained by application to a national or international intellectual property office like the UKIPO or USPTO or WIPO.  We use expertly prepared drawings to present the appearance of products according to official standards.

Care is required to prevent conflicts between registered design applications, design patent applications, utility patent applications, and trade mark applications used to protect a product, and we advise on this

Please contact us for assistance with registered designs, design patents, design rights and copyrights.

Who We Work For

We act for product creators, makers, sellers and users concerned with a product appearance.  Furthermore we advise people who commission or employ a designer.  We advise people who may be concerned about ownership and infringement of UK registered designs and unregistered design rights.

Our service is as a professional representative directly before the UK Design Registry (UKIPO), the United States  Patent and Trade Mark Office (USPTO) for patent matters, and the World intellectual property organisation (WIPO).  We also have a network of Associates around the world to obtain protection for designs in other countries.

Please contact us about protection for the appearance of products.