Design rights

If you've designed a product, you can register the design or look of it to stop people copying or stealing it.

Register your design

Before you register your design, it's important that you check to see whether similar or identical designs to yours are already registered.

You can search for designs registered in the UK on the Intellectual Property Office website. You can also search by the design number if you know it.

Visit GOV.UK to find out more about what you need to do to register a design or defer it. You can also find out information on 'design right' which gives lower protection but stops someone copying your design for 10-15 years.

Renew your registered design

You must renew your design registration on its fifth anniversary. You'll then need to renew every 5 years up to a maximum of 25 years.

Renew up to 6 months before or within 1 month after the renewal date to avoid late payment fees by visiting GOV.UK to renew your registered design. You can also find out how to restore a design after the late renewal deadline.

Update or cancel your registered design

You need to tell the Intellectual Property Office if any details held in the register of designs need to be updated. This includes a change of name or address, to correct errors, or to remove your design from the registry.

You can find out more about updating or cancelling your registered designs on GOV.UK's website or visit the designs section for more information on intellectual property and designs.

Visit GOV.UK for the full list of information about designs.