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Designs |
Registered designs
What is a registered design? A registered design is a type of protection for protecting the rights to the outer appearance of a product - typically its shape, configuration, pattern or ornamentation, or combinations of these features. What can be protected as a design? Just about any type of product can be protected by a registered design. Examples are items of furniture, bottles, machinery components, jewellery, television sets, food items, etc. Why do I need a registered design? The design of many products is the result of: · artistic talent (e.g. the shape of stylish furniture, sculptures, a carpet pattern, ornamentation on a lightshade, etc); · craftsmanship (e.g. the shape of a boat’s hull, the outer configuration and shape of a car body, etc); or · technical or engineering design skill (e.g. heat expandable plastic bottles, machine components such as brackets, etc). As the design lies in the outer appearance of the product, most designs are quite easy for others to copy, without needing any of the artistic talent, craftsmanship or design skill that went into the design in the first place. As a result, someone copying the design will be getting a free ride towards the commercial benefits of the product. Consequently, if you do not protect your design, your competitors can have a significant commercial advantage over you.
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