Any external design of an object includes the aesthetic elements of shape, design and colour, all combined in a proportioned and three dimensional form. Industrial design essentially focuses on these characteristics for creating innovatively designed products.
Once the product designs are created, industrial design rights, which are a kind of intellectual property rights, give designers or firms exclusive rights over those designs. Generally design of different products like furniture, textile, jewellery, etc are protected against unlawful use by these rights, however they can even be extended to the shape of a soft drink bottle, the design of a machine, and so on.
An original design can be secured in all the member nations of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) by filing an application with the body. However, if the rights holder does not approach WIPO and yet wants to safeguard his industrial design rights in various countries, then he has to request for protection from each nation separately.
There are certain benefits of industrial design rights which cannot be neglected. Registering an industrial design helps in protecting the visual or aesthetic features of an item. Any unlawful usage of a duly registered design like imitation is considered a crime. This protects the designer against suffering from losses and allows him to get adequate returns on his product by being able to market his designs exclusively.
Industrial design rights facilitate fair competition among firms and result in better trade practices that benefit the consumers in the long run. They also encourage innovation by preventing unauthorized usage of the registered product. Further, these rights give recognition to the sincere efforts of the design team within an organization.
Hence, industrial design rights also have an important role in making sure that the global commercial activities continue smoothly with fewer hitches by encouraging earnest efforts of the design teams and discouraging unauthorised use of original designs.
Once the product designs are created, industrial design rights, which are a kind of intellectual property rights, give designers or firms exclusive rights over those designs. Generally design of different products like furniture, textile, jewellery, etc are protected against unlawful use by these rights, however they can even be extended to the shape of a soft drink bottle, the design of a machine, and so on.
An original design can be secured in all the member nations of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) by filing an application with the body. However, if the rights holder does not approach WIPO and yet wants to safeguard his industrial design rights in various countries, then he has to request for protection from each nation separately.
There are certain benefits of industrial design rights which cannot be neglected. Registering an industrial design helps in protecting the visual or aesthetic features of an item. Any unlawful usage of a duly registered design like imitation is considered a crime. This protects the designer against suffering from losses and allows him to get adequate returns on his product by being able to market his designs exclusively.
Industrial design rights facilitate fair competition among firms and result in better trade practices that benefit the consumers in the long run. They also encourage innovation by preventing unauthorized usage of the registered product. Further, these rights give recognition to the sincere efforts of the design team within an organization.
Hence, industrial design rights also have an important role in making sure that the global commercial activities continue smoothly with fewer hitches by encouraging earnest efforts of the design teams and discouraging unauthorised use of original designs.
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Discover more about trademark registration Singapore and discover how does a patent lawyer and IP protection increase the net worth of your business very fast. This article, Protecting Your Industrial Design Rights is released under a creative commons attribution licence.
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