Registered and unregistered design rights provide protection for the appearance of an article. We advise on all aspects of design rights, from the initial assessment of what should be protected to securing grant of design registrations around the world.
| If you require information about design rights in general, please download our Introduction to design rights. |  |
| If you are an intellectual property attorney based outside Europe, please consult our note on UK and European design rights. | |
The services we offer in relation to the enforcement of design rights and transactions involving designs are outlined in their own dedicated sections.
Initial Assessment
We conduct novelty searches for registered designs and advise on whether a design is registrable. We also advise on the likely scope of protection that will be conferred by registration in view of the statutory limitations.
Where appropriate, we advise on the applicability of unregistered design rights and copyright to new products to ensure clients are provided with a full picture of the rights available to them.
Filing
Our specialist draughtsmen prepare drawings that meet the filing requirements of the intellectual property offices of all major jurisdictions around the world and tailored to optimise the scope of protection that may be obtained. Where appropriate, we are skilled at properly framing specifications, classifying designs and disclaiming subject matter to further optimise protection.
Prosecution
We prosecute registered design applications to grant throughout the world. We represent clients directly before the appropriate authorities to obtain grant of United Kingdom and European Community design registrations. In other jurisdictions, we manage prosecution with the assistance of our well established network of local attorneys.
Management
We handle all the administrative tasks associated with obtaining design registrations. Due dates are docketed on our industry leading records system and we defer to clients as appropriate to their needs, with a view to minimising their administrative burden. Renewals are handled in-house, enabling us to provide a single point of contact for all aspects of the cases we handle.
Strategy
We help our clients develop effective filing and prosecution strategies to complement their commercial position, ensuring that key products are protected and that rights are registered in appropriate jurisdictions.
We frequently review our clients' existing portfolios to identify strengths and weaknesses, thereby ensuring that appropriate action can be taken in a timely manner. As portfolios develop, we can provide regular, up-to-date schedules of pending and registered designs around the world.
