What is an industrial design and how can it be protected?

What is industrial design?

Industrial design protects elements of the appearance of a product or part of it. To be protected, the design must be distinguished by particular external characteristics, which may relate to the shape, contours, colors, texture and/or materials of the product itself and/or its ornaments.

What objects can receive industrial design protection?

With few exceptions, almost any industrial or craft product can benefit from design protection, as long as it is new and/or original.

In addition to entire products and parts of composite products, industrial design can include packaging, web designs, logos, graphic designs, fonts, computer icons, maps, and much more.

Among the most famous examples of industrial design are Vespa scooters, Mini Cooper cars, Kelly bags from Hermès, Apple products, and the contours of Coca-Cola bottles.

How long will I receive protection for my design?

Successful registration provides a term of protection with an initial validity of 10 years. After the 10-year term, protection can be renewed three more times for 5 years each, with the maximum term of validity of the registration being 25 years.

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