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Work - Design Rights
What is a Design Right?
Design right is like copyright, in so far as it is a free, automatic right that you get when you create an original design.
However, you can also register your design to acquire Design Protection, which covers the outward appearance of your product, including decoration, lines, contours, colours, shape, texture and materials. If you have a new shape or pattern for a product, you may be able to protect it as a design.
A registered design gives you a monopoly right for the look of a product, protecting both the shape and the pattern or decoration. Registering your design also give you the right to stop anyone copying or using your design in the United Kingdom for up to 25 years. If you have a registered design, you must renew it every 5 years for up to 25 years.
To be eligible to be registered, a design must be new and have individual character, which should not remind an informed person of an existing design.
If you want to register your design contact http://www.ipo.gov.uk for further details.