Registering in the UK

To get a product design registered in the UK, you have to file a design application at the UK Patent Office in Newport.  The application includes drawings, or sometimes photographs, showing how your product looks from all angles.  If you wish, you can include several designs in the same application.

The application is checked by the Patent Office, who may raise objections to it being registered or ask you to put certain things right first.  Usually however design applications are accepted within a few months of filing, and without major problems.

The resulting registration lasts for 25 years from the date you applied for it.  To keep it in force, renewal fees need to be paid to the Patent Office every 5 years.

From the date of registration - but not before - you are able to take legal action against infringers.  You should also then mark your product, and your product literature, with wording such as "UK design registration no. xxxxxxx", to warn others of your legal rights.

Although you can deal directly with the Patent Office to obtain and renew a design registration, it's wise to have a qualified patent or trade mark attorney acting for you.  The attorney can prepare your design application papers, and can liaise with the Patent Office and advise on how best to deal with the objections they raise.  He or she will ensure that all the official procedures are complied with at the right times – some of the procedures carry deadlines which if missed can result in loss of your registered design rights.