Industrial Design

Why Should Designers Protect Their Industrial Design Concepts?

Would you allow someone to something that you’ve worked so hard to acquire? In all possibility, you would never allow it.

Tangible objects are not the only things that can be stolen. Even concepts and ideas can be taken without permission and used by unscrupulous entities for their own gain. In the university, you may have heard about plagiarism; it using someone else’s written work and passing it as your own. Also, you may be familiar with the term intellectual property rights infringement.

Currently, one of the most common cases of intellectual property rights infringement is related to industrial design.

Industrial design is a fairly new discipline. It refers to the aesthetic characteristic of items or products. It is what makes an article pleasing to the senses, particularly the sense of sight. This is very valuable for manufacturers, considering that people buy items based primarily on their aesthetic appeal.

The United Nations, through its agency the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), promotes the international protection of intellectual property rights in industrial design. Through its mechanism for registration – the Hague System – industrial designers can register their industrial design concepts.

What are the benefits of registering one’s industrial design?

Primarily, registering an industrial design can protect the designer – or the entity registered as the owner of the design – from unscrupulous individuals who will attempt to imitate a highly lucrative industrial design.

Promoting the protection of industrial designs can cultivate creativity. Designers will no longer be worried of the possibility that someone else might profit from what they create. The owners of the intellectual property rights of an industrial design will be free to explore how to further develop and improve on the design.

If you are an industrial designer who is interested in registering your design, you can consult an intellectual property agent to know the specific requirements for registration.

In choosing an IP agent to handle your registration, select a licensed individual who has a proven track record for trustworthiness. It would also be beneficial for you to choose an IP agent who has technical knowledge about your industrial design. An agent with this know-how will be able to anticipate developments in your area of design expertise, and thus can help you get rights protection for future improvement.