Design protection
The protection of the external appearance and design of a product is of great importance for companies, especially in view of the numerous product imitations worldwide.
Registered designs protect products in their two- or three-dimensional appearance.
A design can protect products and objects in their entirety as well as individual design elements (e.g. packaging, logo, symbol, font).
Designs can be protected if they meet the conditions of novelty and individual character at the time of application to the relevant patent or trademark office. Design protection begins with the entry of the design in the register.
Design protection for technical products
The possibilities of design protection are much more extensive than is often assumed. Design protection can also be a useful protective measure for technical products if they have a special design or aesthetic features that distinguish them from other products.
In practice, design protection for technical products is often used in addition - for example, for the external appearance of tools, machines or electronic devices. This can prevent competitors from launching a visually identical product on the market, even if the technical function is not protected.
Design protection can thus become a success factor, especially in parallel to patent protection, also in view of the fact that it is often easier and cheaper to enforce than technical property rights (Patents und Utility models).
Registering a design - national or international
Registering a design with the GPTO
Design registration is a simple and cost-effective way of protecting the external appearance of a product from imitators.
What is the legal basis for a design application? What protection requirements must be met? And what options are there for registering a design? Information on the registered design.
Registration of designs in Europe
The EU design is a registered design that is registered with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and offers protection in all 27 EU member states. Information on the European design.
International design application
An international design application makes it possible to register a design in several countries beyond the EU with one central application. This is done via the Hague System of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO): The Hague Agreement.
EU design law reform
The reform of EU design law (Blog July2024) will come into force in two stages on May 1, 2025 and July 1, 2026. The aim is to strengthen design protection in the EU, simplify the application and registration processes and extend the definition of products to include digital products and technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics and 3D printing.
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