Strategy for the drafting, filing and management of national, EU and international designs, tailored to product characteristics and business objectives
Effective protection of models and designs against imitations and their misuse thanks to specialised expertise and knowledge of counterfeiting regulations
Specific searches and surveillance to monitor the market and identify any similar or identical designs that could be an obstacle to business development
Protecting personality and creativity of designs and models is crucial to prevent the risks of imitation
PROTECTION
OF THE DISTINCTIVITY OF A PRODUC
PROTECTION OF THE APPEARANCE OF A PRODUCT (SHAPES, COLORS, LINES, STRUCTURE, ...)
MAXIMUM 25 YEARS
IN ITALY AND EUROPEAN UNION
IT IS POSSIBLE TO MENTION
THE AUTHOR / DESIGNER
The competitiveness of your designs is strongly influenced by their aesthetic value: protecting their personality and creativity is therefore crucial to prevent the risks of imitation and copying.
With business assets, designs and models are often decisive items of business value and it is necessary both to defend and protect them and to promote the product’s visible physical characteristics. This strategy therefore includes design filing and registration to protect products, their components, packaging, graphic symbols, typefaces and other distinctive elements.
We support our customers by declining the service according to their needs and dimensions
Do you want to protect your designs with an effective strategy?
We help you file and protect your designs to prevent copying and counterfeiting
FAQ
Why are we talking about designs or models? What’s the difference?
Designs refer to a two-dimensional shape or image, while models refer to a three-dimensional form.
How long does the registration for a model or design last?
In Italy and the European Union, design registration lasts five years from the date of the application. The validity of the registration may be extended for periods of five consecutive years up to a maximum of 25 years from the application date.
When can I request the registration of a design or model?
An application for the registration of a design or model may be filed if it has not yet been disclosed to the public, or even after its disclosure, provided it is within 12 months of such event.
Disclosure means making the design available to the public as a result, for example, of its registration, its exhibition at a trade fair, or its placement on the market.
Can I receive protection for my design or model even if I have not registered it?
In Italy and the EU, an unregistered design or model enjoys de facto protection for three years after its first disclosure. In this case, however, it is up to the claimant of prior rights to prove that any third-party designs or models are not works of independent creation, but copies.
What are the benefits of registering a design or model?
Registration offers many benefits:
First, registration gives the holder exclusive rights to the design or model. With a certificate of ownership, holders can more easily take action against unauthorised use and/or registration of their designs or models by third parties.
Registration confers five years of protection, which can be extended up to a maximum of 25 years. Without registration, the protection conferred on the design or model stops at three years after the first use.
Moreover, possession of a document specifying the protected object is often a prerequisite required for entering into sale and/or licensing agreements with business partners.