Certain kinds of designs may be protected by
registration. These include the appearance of the
whole or a part of a product resulting from the
features of, in particular, the lines, contours,
colour, shape, texture or materials of the product
itself or its ornamentation. A product embraces any
industrial or handicraft item, including parts
intended to be assembled into a complete product,
packaging, get-up, graphic symbols and typographic
typefaces, but does not include computer programs.
In order to be registrable, the design must be new
and have individual character.
Designs wholly dictated by function are not
registrable, i.e. there must be some aesthetic
appeal. There is no protection for features of shape
which are dependent on the appearance of another
article of which the first article is intended to
form a part.
The registration of a design secures for the author
a monopoly in respect of that design. The design
must be new at the date of application for
registration if a valid registration is to be
obtained. Therefore, it is vital to apply for the
protection before making any public disclosure of
the design.
Designs may be registered in Ireland at the Irish
Patents Office or throughout Europe at the Office
for Harmonisation in the Internal Market or
individually in most countries. For further
information we would recommend you seek advice from
a patent or trade mark
attorney.
|
|
 |
In 1945, James
Martin
invented the ejector seat. |
|
