Essential Facts about Design

1. Why is it necessary to protect a design?
2. What is a design?
3. To which products does industrial design apply?
4. How can an industrial design be protected?

5. How can industrial design be internationally protected?
The owner/holder of design right, that is, the applicant for the registration of design right can submit a request for international registration of a design through the Intellectual Property Office, to obtain protection on the basis of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs in the countries which are party to that Agreement. A list of those countries can be found in the Information Circular on the Procedure for International Protection of Design.
Design Registration Procedure

1. Who can file an application for design registration?
2. Is it mandatory to appoint an attorney for the filing of the application?
3. When does the procedure for design registration begin?
4. What is a priority right?
5. Which elements should a duly filed application for design registration comprise?
a) A request for design registration
b) A design description
c) A photograph or a drawing of the design
d) A power of attorney
6. What are the stages and duration of the design registration procedure?
7. When has a design been created and how long is its validity period?
8. How to renew the validity of a design?

Other Relevant Questions

1. Can the appearance of a design be subsequently changed in the course of the design registration procedure?
2. What should the applicant do if the name of the applicant is changed, or his address, that is, his name and address, or if the right from the application is assigned to another natural or legal person, during the procedure for design registration?
3. Which applications are examined in an expedited procedure?