Design National

The external appearance of an industrial product is protected by the design, but not the idea, invention, production process or anything similar behind the product. Components that are not visible when used as intended (e.g. spark plugs) can therefore not be protected as designs. There is also no design protection for computer programs.

You can protect a design if it is new and has individual character. Novelty exists if the design was not known to the professional circles of the relevant sector operating in the European Economic Area in the normal course of business before the filing date. Peculiarity exists if the overall impression of the design is sufficiently different from the overall impression of other, older designs.

After you have filed your design, your application will first be formally examined. The examination of novelty and individual character of a design is not part of the application procedure. This has the advantage that you can get your design quickly. The disadvantage is that a third party can file an application for declamation of invalidity and the design can be cancelled afterwards.