Design rights are less known than other Intellectual Property rights – however, they could be vital in protecting your products and benefitting your business.
What are design rights?
Design Rights allow you to protect the outward appearance of a product. For everyday items such as vacuum cleaners or smartphones – the overall shape, the look of individual parts, components or attachments, or even the screen layout or individual icons can be protected by Design Rights.
Design Rights present many advantages and can prove to be an important alternative to patent protection when this is not possible.
Advantages of design rights
Here are some of the main advantages of Design Rights:
- Design protection can be obtained in a matter of days or weeks.
- Obtaining Design Rights protection can be cheaper than obtaining other IP rights.
- Design Rights protection can be quickly updated as you update your designs, maintaining effective protection at all times.
- Design Rights protection initially lasts for 5 years but can be renewed in 5 five-year intervals and can last for up to twenty-five years.
- Design Rights allow you to act quickly and effectively against any infringer.
- As a form of IP right, Design Rights can help you attract investment and help you grow your business.
- As an Intellectual Property asset, you are in a better position to license or sell your Design Rights to a third party.
Seeking early advice from an experienced Design Rights Attorney will ensure that the protection you obtain is appropriate, robust and fits the needs of your business.
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