Design registration

A design is new if you haven't launched it yet. However, it is no longer new if the design is already featured on your website or exhibited at a trade fair. So, in that case, you can no longer register it. Fortunately, there is still a loophole: the law gives you 12 months respite! See the next question.

Luckily, the law gives leeway for an extra 12 months. So, according to the law, you can still file a valid registration up to 12 months after the first publication of the design. After that, however, the opportunity is gone.

A design has an individual character if the general impression differs from other designs already on the market. The criteria remain somewhat vague, but in practice, it means that the design simply must stand out from the existing designs of others.

The right images! The choice of images filed in your application is crucial, as it determines the value and scope of a design. Chiever has the know-how and experience to decide which images will give the best design protection. There are many decisions to be made: photos or line drawings, colour or black and white, how many views, zoom in or not, etc. With our guidance, you’ll have the right images and obtain optimal design protection.

Our advice is always to first opt for European design registration. It is relatively straightforward, provides broad coverage, and the costs remain limited. A European registration gives your design protection for five years in twenty-seven EU countries. After that, you can opt to extend the registration four more times for five years. At the same time, we can also assist you with the protection of your design outside the EU, claiming the priority date of your European registration.