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Register a design

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1. Overview

A design registration helps protect the appearance of a product, such as its shape or pattern.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

Registering your design makes it easier to prove:

  • that the design is legally yours
  • when you created it

This will help if anyone tries to copy or use your design without your permission.

Before registering a design, check it is the right protection for your intellectual property.

A design registration lasts 5 years. You must renew your design registration every 5 years to keep it protected - up to a maximum of 25 years.

What you can register

Your design must be new.

The design of something can include one or more of the following:

  • physical shape
  • configuration (or how different parts of a design are arranged together)
  • decoration or colour
  • pattern

What you cannot register

You cannot register:

  • offensive material, for example swear words or pornographic images
  • designs making use of national flags you do not have permission to use
  • designs making use of official emblems or hallmarks, for example the Olympic rings or coats of arms
  • the functionality of a design, for example a chair that folds down more quickly than others of the same kind

What it costs

Registering a design costs from £60 for one design to £185 for up to 50.

The application process

You can apply online or by post.

You must send the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) detailed illustrations of your designs, including any notes to describe exactly what you are registering.

You’ll get a decision on your application within 2 weeks.

View a timeline of the process.

2. Before you apply

Search the following design registers to check if anyone else has registered your design:

You can ask the Intellectual Property Office to search UK registered designs for you. This costs £30.

Get professional help and advice

You can get free advice about registering a design from:

You can get professional help from patent attorneys and trade mark attorneys. You will have to pay for their services.

3. Prepare your application

You must prepare detailed illustrations of your design.

You can upload up to 12 illustrations of the same design if you’re applying online. If you need to include more than 12 illustrations, you must apply by post.

If you’re applying by post, your illustrations must be on plain A4 paper.

If you want to register more than one design

You can register up to 50 designs at a time online.

You must register each design separately.

If your designs are different, for example a different shape, pattern or decoration, you must register each version as a separate design.

Rules for illustrations

Show one design only

Your illustrations must:

  • show just one version of your design
  • show each view (for example front, side and back) as a separate illustration
  • only show colour or tonal contrasts that are elements of your design - unless you say otherwise

Show the design on its own

Your illustrations must:

  • show the design against a plain background
  • not include your hand, or an object unrelated to your design
  • not include text, measurements or technical information

If there are parts of the design showing that you do not want to register, you can ‘grey out’, highlight or circle parts of the illustration.

Example

You want to register a design for some table legs. Your illustrations show the whole table. Highlight the legs (for example, by outlining them) to make it clear they are the only part of the table you want to register.

If you’re registering a surface pattern

Your illustrations must show the complete pattern and clearly show how the pattern repeats.

Use clear images

Your illustrations must:

  • show the design as it appears to the eye, using photographs, line drawings, computer-aided design (CAD) or rendered CAD
  • all be the same type of image, for example all photographs or all line drawings
  • be clear, for example if you use photographs they must be in focus
  • have no details hidden by shadows or reflections

If your illustrations include things you do not want to register

You must explain in writing the parts of an illustration you do not want to register as a design - this is called a ‘disclaimer.’

Example 1

You want to register a design for a bike. The bike in your illustrations is pink. Add a note (‘disclaimer’) that you’re registering the shape of the bike, not the colour, to protect your right to use any colour.

Example 2

You want to register a design for a teapot. The illustrations show a pattern but your design relates to the teapot’s shape. Add a note (‘disclaimer’) explaining that the pattern is not part of the design.

4. Apply to register your design

You must have illustrations of your design before you can apply to register a design.

If you do not want your design to be registered as soon as possible, you can ‘defer’ your application for up to 12 months. Your design will not be protected as a registered design while your application is deferred.

Fees

How much you pay depends on the number of designs you are registering, not the number of illustrations you include.

Number of designs Online filing fee
One £60
Up to 10 £85
Up to 20 £110
Up to 30 £135
Up to 40 £160
Up to 50 £185

Apply to register a design online

If you want to register more than one design, upload each one separately. After you upload a design, you’ll be asked if you want to add another.

Apply now

If you cannot apply online

Fill in an application form and send it to the address on the form.

Include your illustrations and the fee. It costs more than applying online.

Number of designs Paper filing fee
One £75
Each additional design £50

5. After you apply

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) will examine your application.

If there are no issues your design will be registered - usually within 2 weeks.

The IPO will let you know if there are any problems. You’ll have at least 2 months to resolve them. You may get longer depending on the type of problem.

If you deferred your registration

If you deferred your registration when you applied, you have up to 12 months to register it before the IPO will cancel your application.

To register it, send a deferred design registration form and the £50 fee for each design.

6. When your design is registered

Once your design is registered it will be published in the journal of registered designs. Anyone will be able to view your design.

You can display your registration number on your design.

You must renew your design registration every 5 years to keep it protected, for up to 25 years in total.

You can license, sell or mortgage your design.

If your application is rejected

The Intellectual Property Office will let you know if your application is rejected and let you know why.

You can request a hearing if you:

  • think your application has been dealt with unfairly
  • disagree with the decision about your design