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Why protect Industrial Designs?

Industrial Design

An industrial design is that aspect of a useful article which is ornamental or aesthetic. It may consist of three-dimensional features such as the shape or surface of the article, or two-dimensional features such as patterns, lines or color.

Industrial designs are applied to a wide variety of products of industry or handicraft: from watches, jewelry, fashion and other luxury items, to industrial and medical implements. Examples: shapes or forms of chairs, telephones, cars, computers, airplanes, TV, watches, cameras, etc.

An Industrial Design is distinguished from a trademark primarily because it is constituted by the appearance of a product, which must not necessarily be distinctive (a prime requirement for a trademark). A trademark although it may consist of all kinds of visible signs, which may or may not be ornamental, must always be distinctive, since a trademark must always be capable of distinguishing the goods and services of one enterprise from another. Therefore the functions of, and justifications for, protecting industrial designs and trademarks are quite different.

The object of protection of an industrial design is different from that of a patent, primarily because an industrial design must relate to the appearance of the object and which is not determined by technical or functional necessity. The object of patent protection, in contrast, is determined by the functionality of an object or process since it must be an ‘invention'.

Why protect Industrial Designs?

By protecting an industrial design, the owner is ensured an exclusive right against its unauthorized copying or imitation by third parties for a period of time, which is typically for 5 years with the possibility of renewal, up to a maximum of 15-25 years depending on the particular national law. The TRIPS provides for protection of a minimum of 10 years.

In other words, the owner of a protected industrial design shall have the right to prevent third parties not having his consent from making, selling or importing articles bearing or embodying a design which is a copy of the protected design. Since industrial designs are that aspect of an article which make it aesthetically appealing and attractive, they serve to add to the commercial value of the product and facilitate its marketing and commercialization. To be protected under most national laws, an industrial design must appeal to the eye. Industrial design does not protect any technical features of the article to which it is applied.

Industrial design protection benefits the owner, the consumer and the economy in general. Another interesting feature of industrial designs is that they can be relatively simple and inexpensive to develop and protect. Therefore they are reasonably accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises, even to individual artists and craftsmen, in both industrialized and developing countries.

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