Design right and registration
Introduction
You can protect the internal or external shape or configuration of an original design. Two-dimensional designs such as textiles or wallpaper do not qualify for design right.
Design right - which is an automatic right - allows you to protect your designs in the UK and prevent others from copying or misusing them.
If you register a design, you may be able to strengthen and extend protection to other countries of any design right or copyright protection that may exist automatically. This means that in the event of an infringement action you would not have to prove that a design you had registered had been copied.
This guide explains how your business can benefit from design right and registration. It covers the protection given by design right, explains how to register a design, and what to do if your design right or registration is infringed.
Subjects covered in this guide
- Introduction
- What is design right?
- What is a registered or Community registered design?
- Key differences between design right and design registration
- How design right and registration can help your business
- How to register a design
- Defend your design against infringement
- Respect other people's designs
- Here's how a designer helped me to turn an idea into a product
Actions
- Design rights information on the Intellectual Property Office website - Opens in a new window
- Download design protection guidance from the Intellectual Property Office website (PDF, 6.32MB) - Opens in a new window
- Intellectual property healthcheck tool on the Intellectual Property Office website (registration required) - Opens in a new window
- Use our interactive tool to find out the best ways to protect your intellectual property
- Manage your personal list of starting-up tasks with our Business start-up organiser
- View local and national events linked to this topic
