A design protects the appearance of an industrial or artisanal product or a part of a product, including, in particular, its lines, contours, colors, shapes, and textures. Like trademarks, this protection grants the owner an exclusive right to the design, allowing them to prevent any unauthorized use through out-of-court settlements or litigation.
The design must possess an individual character, meaning that it must not give the impression of déjà vu as a whole when compared to a design disclosed prior to the date of protection granted for your application.
To benefit from this protection, you must register with the Industrial Property Office of the territory where you wish to obtain protection, and you must do so before any public disclosure, although some jurisdictions grant a sort of grace period.
A registered design is protected for 5 years, renewable every 5 years for a maximum of 25 years. Protection is also available if you choose to disclose your design directly to the public without prior registration, by claiming a right to an “unregistered European Union design.” The design is then protected for a period of 3 years, starting from the date of the first disclosure of the design to the public within the territory of the European Union.