Metida | Design

Design

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Why should you register your design?

Protection

You will create and protect your business identity, and protect the funds invested in the development of your design in markets of your choice.

Competitive advantage

You will become unique and be protected against the use of a similar or identical design in markets of your choice.

Reputation

You will gain a reputation as a reliable manufacturer and promote your values pertaining to your unique design.

Financial benefits

You will receive financial benefits if you grant franchises or licenses or assign rights to your design to other persons.

Registration

Design definition

A design is the image of a product or part thereof consisting of specific properties of the product and/or its specific ornamental properties such as lines, contours, colors, shape, texture and/or material. A design is intended to distinguish your product from other products available on the market and provides added value to your product.

To protect the design’s uniqueness, it is advisable to register your design. Registration grants the exclusive right to use the design and prevents other persons from using your work and receiving financial benefits in a specified territory.

Design registration

A design may be registered and protected if it is novel and has individual character. This means that no other identical design must be publicly available before the date of submission of your application to the patent office and that the overall impression of the design created for consumers differs from the overall impression created by any other design. A design qualifies as identical to another design if its properties differ only slightly from those of another design. Furthermore, a design that you wish to register may not contain a third party trademark or official state symbols.

The image of a product may be protected in several ways: as an object of copyright, as a three-dimensional trademark, as an unregistered design and as a registered design. Registration of a design guarantees the best and most appropriate protection for the image of a product.

National

Community

International

National

The protection of a design registered nationally is valid in a specific country (e.g. Lithuania) pursuant to national legislation. The owner of a national design is granted the exclusive rights that prohibit third parties from using an identical or similar product design in the relevant country.

Community

The protection of a design registered on the level of the European Community is valid in all countries of the European Union. With the EU expanding, the protection of Community designs automatically extends to new Member States. The owner of a Community design is granted the exclusive rights that prohibit third parties from using an identical or similar product design in any one Member State.

International

The protection of a design registered internationally is valid in the selected countries that signed the Hague Agreement. To date, 64 countries have joined the Hague Agreement. International registration of your design provides you with an opportunity to select several individual countries that are of most relevance to you. The owner of an international design is granted the exclusive rights that prohibit third parties from using an identical or similar product design in selected countries of the Hague Agreement.

Hague Convention Countries

Andora

Argentina

Armenia

Austria

Australia

Bahamas

Belgium

Belize

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Brazil

Burkina Faso

Canada

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Croatia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

Dominican Republic

Estonia

Ecuador

El Salvador

Fiji

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Guatemala

Honduras

Hong Kong

Hungary

Ireland

Israel

Iceland

Italy

Jamaica

Japan

Latvia

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Macau

Macedonia

Malta

Mauritius

Mexico

Morocco

Monaco

Montenegro

Netherlands

Norway

New Zealand

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Poland

Protugal

Romania

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Serbia

Sweden

Singapore

Slovenia

Slovakia

San Marino

South Africa

South Korea

Spain

Sri Lanka

Switzerland

Thailand

Trinidad and Tobago

Turkey

Ukraine

United Kingdom

Uruguay

Venezuela

Zimbabwe

Design registration services

Evaluation of registration opportunities

For a design to be registered, it must satisfy the following criteria:

The design must be novel; and
The design must have individual character.

We evaluate whether your design satisfies the criteria above and whether it is eligible for registration. We also perform a search of earlier designs, identify potential risks of protest and evaluate the probability of defending design registration in case of any such letters of protest.

Registration of a design

We analyze your specific situation and propose the optimal strategy for registering your design. We help to properly select classes of products for which your design will be used according to the Locarno Classification. We also draft the required documents, register your design and notify you of each and every step in this process.

Monitoring of validity periods

We monitor the validity period of your design and timely notify you about its expiry and also draft documents required for extending your design protection. A design is registered and protected for 25 years, and registration is extended every 5 years. Registration must be extended at least 6 months before expiry of its validity period.

Adjustment, licenses, and assignment of rights

We perform design post-registration procedures and, if required, assist you in disposing of your design, i.e. in the assignment, pledge or granting of licenses to other persons to use your intellectual property or part thereof in a certain territory or for certain goods, guaranteeing financial benefits for you.

Evaluation of registration opportunities

Registration of a design

Monitoring of validity periods

Adjustment, licenses, and assignment of rights

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