What Are Industrial Design Rights And How You Can Protect Yours

The visual aspect of a product encompasses all its aesthetic features including shape, size, texture, design, colour etc fused in a systematic, three dimensional framework. Industrial design deals with manipulation of these essential elements to create novel designs for marketable items.

After the completion of a particular design, the creators or companies are vested with certain rights over the exclusive usage of that design. These rights are called the industrial design rights. Generally design oriented products like textile, jewellery, etc are safeguarded by these rights, but the safety can also be used for other features of an item like the shape of a beverage bottle or the design of an electronic good.

To secure an original design, you have to file an application with the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), if you belong to one of the participant nations of the WIPO treaty. However, this is not the only option available to the designers wanting to protect their design rights as they can approach the authorities of other countries and obtain separate protection in each of these nations.

There are numerous benefits associated with industrial design rights which cannot be overlooked. Registration of an industrial design safeguards the way a product looks, which includes all the aesthetic aspects associated with it. Any unauthorized usage of a registered design like copying is considered a crime. This enables the owner to reap commercial gains from his design, and earn his fair share of profits by large scale production and promotion of goods bearing his design.

Industrial design rights also foster healthy competition and lawful commercial practices, which in turn help the customers as well. They also motivate innovation by checking unauthorized usage of the registered product. These rights reward the hard work of the team of designers who come up with such designs, and builds a congenial environment for the firms to work in.

Thus, like other forms of IPR, industrial design rights also play a crucial role in promoting the smooth working of the world economy where sincere efforts and investment are encouraged and unauthorized usage is discouraged.

Uncover more about Trademarks Singapore and Industrial design protection.

Published by: Anne Mary Gauss on November 18th, 2009 | Filed under Intellectual Property



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