Applying for Industrial Design
Protect the design of your products or their parts – lines, outlines, shape, structure, material.
With an industrial design, you can prevent competitors from using the product design or protected parts of the product without your permission for up to 25 years.
- We prepare the industrial design application and handle the related paperwork.
- We take care of each design for 5 years – and even longer in case of renewal.
- We timely alert you about relevant deadlines and represent you in dealings with authorities and competitors.
- We can also assist you in licensing or enforcing your rights.
- All in line with your business plans.
Registering an industrial design does not guarantee that you are not infringing on the rights of competitors. Before entering the market, we recommend conducting a design search to ensure non-infringement.
Where do you need to protect your design?
Czech Republic
The registration of an industrial design in the Czech Republic starts at CZK 4,000 for the first 5 years of validity. This protection can be gradually extended for up to 25 years.
The registration process takes approximately 2 years from the application submission.
The costs include:
- Consultation on design protection options
- Protection strategy
- Preparation of an application
- Official filing fee (may be lower if the designer is the same person as the applicant)
- Representation before the Czech IPO
European Union
Protection for your design in the EU territory is obtained by registering a so-called Community design, with the costs starting at CZK 10,000 for the first 5 years of validity. This protection can be gradually extended for up to 25 years.
Protection for your design is almost instantaneous – we submit the application, and typically within a week, the design is registered.
The costs include:
- Consultation on design protection options
- Protection strategy
- Preparation and processing of the application
- Consultation on design protection options
- Protection strategy
- Representation before the European Union Intellectual Property Office
- Protection across the whole EU
The price is lower if you file a multiple application for industrial designs.
Get a quote
US
The costs for a design patent application in the US for 15 years starts at 32,000 CZK for 1 design. Registration takes place approximately 1 year after the application filing date.
The costs include:
- Consultation on design protection options
- Protection strategy
- Preparation of an application
- Representation by a cooperating attorney before the US Patent and Trademark Office
- Communication with the local patent attorney
Other territories
We can arrange protection almost all over the world thanks to a network of trusted cooperating foreign attorneys.
Let us know where you need protection and we will take care of the rest.
Contact us
Tailored solutions to your business
Strategic way to protect the unique design of your products.
Registration of industrial designs both domestically and internationally.
Establishing the right relationships between creators and users of designs.
Contracts to the transfers of acquired rights or licenses to them.
Searches in databases of registered industrial designs.
Rights enforcement in case of a dispute and arguments for your defense.
As patent attorneys, we are legally bound to confidentiality.
All your data is safe with us.
How we work
First – contact & strategy
You have only 1 attempt at registering a design. Therefore, we do not underestimate anything and we choose the protection strategy based on your future business plans.
Then – pictures
Choosing the right images for the industrial design application is crucial. These images influence both the quality and scope of protection. We will guide you through the process.
Preparation & filing
We process all your documents and outputs of the search and prepare an application, which, after your approval, is filed with the relevant authorities. Payment of all administrative fees is included.
Registration. What next?
We represent you during the proceedings and handle the related paperwork. We keep you informed about any developments and always consult futher steps with you.
The time it takes to obtain an industrial design varies by territory – in the EU, within weeks; in the Czech Republic or the US, within a year or more.
Timeline of the EU proceedings
Let’s begin!
Initial consultation
2 weeks
Compilation of materials
1 week
Application filing
1-2 weeks
EUIPO examination
1-2 weeks
Industrial design registration
What are the conditions for protecting a design?
Only designs that are new and therefore not published anywhere more than 12 months ago can be protected.
Compliance with this condition is assesed differently in each country; for example, in the US, they also check published videos on YouTube. Your design must not be too similar to other published designs. The best way to verify compliance with these conditions is through a design search.
More about design search
Protecting a design in the Czech Republic or the EU?
We recommend protecting your design in the EU (via Community Design).
It is valid in all 26 EU member states and is usually registered within weeks after the application filing date. Thanks to a grant from the EU Intellectual Property Office, you may also save 75% on the official fees.
On the other hand, the Czech Industrial Design is valid only in the Czech Republic, and its registration takes place approximately 2 years after the application filing date.
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Save up to 75 %
Thanks to support at both the national and European levels, you may save up to 75% of investments in intellectual property, including industrial designs.
For Czech and EU designs, you can take advantage of EUIPO grants, allowing you to save approximately 75% of official fees for applications.
In terms of protection in the US, it is advantageous to utilize the MPO Innovation Vouchers program, through which you can save 75% of all costs for patent attorney services.
More about EUIPO grantRelated services
Companies that rely on us to protect their unique designs and products include, for example, the following:
