Fees payable for registering a design are set to fall substantially as the government looks at ways to make the UK the best place to do business.
Currently an EU Registered Community Design is a popular protection choice, but the reduction in fees for the UK Registered Design and a new online application system is set to make it cheaper and easier for designers to choose this option.
Savings will increase with multiple applications. For example, the first registration will decrease from £60 to £50. But make 10 applications at one time and fees drop from £420 to £70, and for 20 from £820 to £90.
This will encourage businesses to better protect their designs by registering not only the complete product, but by separately registering individual aspects of the design.
Obtaining the widest possible protection is important should a company wish to bring action for infringement. Where only certain aspects of a design have been copied, if those aspects have been registered in their own right it becomes much easier to prove a breach of intellectual property law.
Fees for renewing design protection will also fall. Renewal is required every five years, and the total fee for a 25 year period will drop from £1100 to £410.
So for secure long-term design protection UK Registered Design will offer security at a price which will be affordable for smaller businesses and new start-ups, as well as larger organisations with many designs to register.
