Intellectual property insights: There’s a lot of advice online about how to protect your registered design, but should you do it yourself or employ a legal specialist? We spoke with Barker Brettell, who as one of the largest and most experienced design rights experts in the UK, we feel are well-placed to give you some advice on how to register a great design.
Share this article:
No surprise that we would say this but let us explain. This could be your one and only great idea. Do you want someone else to benefit from all that work? There is a time and a place for a talented amateur tackling something new. But this isn’t it.
Do your research, understand what registering your design means but ensure you team up with an experienced patent and trade mark attorney. They can advise on all areas of design protection. They’ll ensure you’re making the right choice in protecting your product but can also prepare representations and file strategies to validity, cancellation and enforcement.
We’ve found that separating design and protection leads to future risk. Critically it could delay in taking a product to market. And of course cost you more money in the long run.
Since the Industrial Revolution, the UK has had a global reputation for innovation which doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The volume of UK designs filed is on the up. By choosing a UK design attorney to register your design, you’ll be opting for a professional working in a buoyant market.
Choose a firm with an extensive understanding of what is achievable and deals with all aspects of intellectual property.
Where do you want your business to be in five, ten, twenty years’ time? As your company expands you may need to protect your design in the European or global market. Be honest with yourself – do you have the time (or the inclination) to keep up with legislation worldwide? It makes sense to share your ambition with your design attorney, and choose one that will ultimately be able to handle an international design portfolio.
What attracted us to Barker Brettell is that outside the UK, they have offices in Germany and Sweden so whatever Brexit brings, they’ll continue to meet EU design needs. They file many international (Hague) designs and were one of the first few firms to file a Hague application designating the UK as soon as it became a contracting state in June 2018. Barker Bretell was also ranked 11th overall out of all European representatives for filing Registered Community Designs.
This isn’t the time to choose a rooky firm. Choose an experienced attorney with a proven track record. The difference in the initial financial outlay will be minimal but it will prove to be an excellent investment in the future protection of your design.
Barker Brettell has represented individual entrepreneurs as well as companies such as Britvic and London Taxi for design filings. They have abundant experience in filing and obtaining design protection around the world and working out cost-effective filing strategies.
What has made us proud to be working with them is their attention to detail for each client as well as their personality. Your product development journey should be exciting and the people you work with should be equally enthused to be part of this with you.
A guide to achieving commercial success through structuring the different types of innovation in your organisation.
Discover expert tips from professional grant writer, Dr Dawn Hargy-Louden, to boost your chances of securing grant funding.
The UK IPO has just launched new SME financial support scheme, IP Advance, to help protect innovations in your business.
