What is a registered design?
A registered design is a form of intellectual property protection that covers the visual appearance of a product, including its shape, configuration, pattern, and/or ornament. Essentially, a registered design protects the way a product looks.
Registered designs work by providing the owner with exclusive rights to use the design in commerce, which means that any third parties cannot use a similar design to sell similar products. This helps to prevent confusion among consumers and protects the investment and creativity that a company has put into designing its products.
In order to be eligible for protection, a design must be new, which means that it cannot be identical or very similar to designs that have already been made available to the public. In general, any type of design may be eligible for protection, including industrial and commercial products and textile designs, etc.
How to register a design?
The process of obtaining a registered design typically involves filing an application with the patent office in the jurisdictions where protection is sought. The application will be examined by a design examiner on whether the design possesses the novelty as required for registration.
Providing representations of the design is a key requirement when filing a design application for registration. The representations are used to illustrate the visual appearance of the design and help the examiner understand the unique features of the design.
In general, there are two types of representations that can be provided in a design application: drawings and photographs. Drawings are typically preferred because they tend to provide a clearer and more accurate depiction of the design, but photographs may also be acceptable in some cases.
When preparing drawings or photographs for a design application, it is important to provide clear and detailed drawings or images that show all aspects of the design that are relevant to its unique features. This may include details such as the shape, configuration, pattern, and/or ornament of the design.
In addition, it is useful to provide multiple views of the design, which may include, but not limited to, front, back, top, bottom, and side views, as well as any other perspective views that are relevant to the design. This helps to ensure that the examiner has a complete understanding of the design and its unique features.
It is also important to ensure that the representations are of high quality and meet other specific requirements set by the relevant patent offices.
In summary, providing clear and detailed representations of the design is a key requirement when filing a design application for registration. The representations should illustrate all aspects of the design that are relevant to its unique features, and preferably, include multiple views in high quality. By providing good quality representations, you can increase the chances of your design being approved for registration and help protect your intellectual property.