A industrial design generally costs less but are effective deterrent against competitors.
Design registration protects the appearance of a product, rather than how it works or how it is made, a registered design provide significant protection when patent protection is unavailable or not justified.
Design registration play an important aspect in an IP strategy for protecting technical innovation. Although often thought of simply in terms of design protection, a registration can also act as an addition or alternative to patent protection. The duration of the protection of industrial designs varies from country to country, but it amounts at least to 10 years and in the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia and Africa is regularly 10 years. In many countries, the total duration of protection is divided into successive renewable periods. The approximate timeframe for design registration goes from 6 to 12 months.
Registered designs are a powerful tool for protection against unauthorised copying and are a valuable IP asset in a company IP portfolio. Our professionals counsel clients on the full range of design patent protection opportunities, including: preparing, filing and prosecuting industrial design applications at the distintive Intellectual Property Offices of the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia and Africa.
