March 2003
Are you ready for the Community Design?
What is it?
From 01 April 2003 the Community Registered Design (Community Design) comes into force. Available for 2D and 3D designs, it is a formal way to protect your designs throughout the EU. It is therefore suitable for all designers, from textiles and prints to furniture and industrial design. Just one application will protect your designs for a 5 year period, renewable for up to 25 years in total.
What are the benefits of registration?
The Community Design allows for multiple registrations in just one application on a sliding scale of fees depending on the number of designs applied for. This is a real advantage over the UK registered design and is incredibly useful for designers of modular systems or of series of patterns or textiles.
The Community Designs Register will be a publicly available document and as such your registration gives you a monopoly right to use and exploit your registered design. Your registration certificate is taken at face value, meaning that it alone is evidence of your monopoly right.
What next?
I have a registered UK Design: If you have registered your UK design within the last six months you will be able to claim priority which means that your UK application will be back-dated to the date of your UK filing. If your UK registration is older than that, speak to us and we can give you specific advice on your particular circumstances.
I have not yet registered my design(s): As long as your design was not first shown to the public earlier than 12 months ago, you can apply for a Community Design. If you have never shown your design to the public, you can register your design(s) in the usual way.
How can Briffa Help?
Our fixed fee Designs Registry can advise you on the best way forward and can assist you by making the applications on your behalf.
Call Margaret Briffa on 020 7288 6003 for more information or email her at margaret@briffa.com.