Design registration is considered when the appearance of your product includes design elements in addition to technical aspects. Modern, innovative, creative, and emotionally appealing – often, it’s the design alone that decides whether a specific product is purchased, giving it a unique value.

By registering a design (also known as a “design patent”), the external appearance of a product or its packaging can be protected. Whether it’s vehicles, machinery, furniture, clothing, or the like – in nearly all fields, original designs can be an effective and often the sole defence against unwanted imitation.

Frequently, taking appropriate pictures of the product against a neutral background is sufficient to prepare and submit a design registration. Even simplified line drawings can serve as a basis for the application. Therefore, the costs of design registration are low compared to trademark registration. Additionally, there’s an option at the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) and the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) responsible for EU designs to bundle multiple designs in so-called “multiple applications”.

Combined with patent or utility model protection, design protection can become a success factor that secures a decisive advantage over your competitors. In other countries such as the USA, different regulations may apply. Here, designs are protected through “design patents,” which may have slightly different application requirements than German or EU design registrations.

Count on our expertise to best protect and optimize your design matters.