Design rights registration

Protecting the appearance of your products can be just as important as protecting how they work or the brand under which they are sold. Registered designs give you a clear, enforceable monopoly over the visual features of a product and can be a powerful commercial and litigation tool.

Napthens’ specialist intellectual property lawyers advise and consult on the full lifecycle of UK and international design registrations, from initial strategy and filing through to portfolio management and, where necessary, clearing the field through invalidity actions.

What is a registered design?

A registered design protects the appearance of the whole or part of a product. This can include its shape, configuration, lines, contours, colours, texture or materials.

It is worth noting that, under UK law, unregistered design rights could arise automatically under the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988. However, registering your design under the Registered Designs Act 1949 has the benefit of:

• Longer duration of protection (up to 25 years)
• Stronger scope of protection (includes more aspects of the overall appearance)
• Easier burden of proof in enforcement (unregistered design right protection relies on proving copying)

Our approach to design registrations

Napthens guides clients through a clear step-by-step process, tailored to your needs.

1. Understanding your product and objectives

We start by discussing the product or design in detail, including:

• What makes the design new or distinctive
• How the product will be used and sold
• Key competitors and existing designs in the market
• Your wider IP strategy, including patents, trade marks and unregistered rights

Where appropriate, we can carry out or coordinate design searches to assess risk and inform filing strategy.

2. Advising on scope of protection

The images filed with a design application are critical. They define the scope of protection.

We advise on:

• The number and type of views to include
• Whether to use line drawings, photographs or a combination
• How to maximise protection while reducing the risk of validity challenges
• Use of disclaimers or broken lines to exclude unprotectable features

This stage is often where careful legal input adds the most value.

3. Preparing and filing applications

We prepare and file design applications with the UKIPO, ensuring that formal requirements are met and that the application reflects the agreed strategy.

We also advise on:

• Timing of filing, including issues of novelty and prior disclosure
• Deferring publication where appropriate
• Filing multiple designs or design variants efficiently

4. Dealing with UKIPO queries and issues

If the UKIPO raises any queries or objections, we deal with these on your behalf and keep you informed throughout the process.

Once registration is complete, we ensure records are accurate and provide clear confirmation of your registered rights.

5. International and foreign design registrations

For products sold or manufactured outside the UK, we can coordinate protection internationally. This includes:

• Advising on EU, individual country and Hague System filings
• Managing overseas agents where required
• Aligning foreign filings with UK strategy and budgets

6. Ongoing design right management

Our support does not end once a design is registered. We can assist with:

• Renewal and maintenance of registered designs
• Portfolio reviews and gap analysis
• Assignments, licences and recordals
• Strategic advice on enforcement and commercial use

Design disputes, infringements and invalidity actions

With such a fierce competitive landscape, businesses frequently find themselves in the position of needing to make a design rights claim or being on the receiving end of one.

Whether considering enforcement against design right infringement or protecting against an invalidity claim, we specialise in litigation of intellectual property.

You can find more information on our contentious IP service page.

Design registration pricing

We offer straightforward, transparent pricing for registering your designs:

UK registrations:

• First design: £400 + VAT
• Each additional design filed at the same time: £200 + VAT

EU registrations:

• First design: £500 + VAT
• Each additional design filed at the same time: £200 + VAT

Get started with your design registration

Get in touch today to speak with an expert.