• Design fees

Fees associated with filing an industrial design application in the United Kingdom as well as other design fees are available in the fee calculator.

• Multiple design application

Multiple design applications are possible in the United Kingdom.

• Filing requirements for a design application in the United Kingdom

The official languages of the industrial design prosecution before the UK Patent Office are English and Welsh.

For obtainment of a filing date, an industrial design application in the UK shall contain the following:
- applicant’s details, including registered address if applicable;
- set of pictures showing the appearance of the design;
- brief descriptive title of the product;
- details of any foreign applications or registrations on which priority is to be claimed;
- proof of payment of the relevant fee.

Currently, the legislation of the United Kingdom does not require submitting a Power of Attorney when filing a design application.

The submission of the Priority Document is not required.

The term for filing an industrial design application claiming conventional priority in the UK is six months from the priority date.

• Examination of a design application in the UK

A design application in the UK undergoes both formal and substantive examinations. No specific examination request or fee shall be submitted.

• Novelty grace period

The novelty grace period in the UK constitutes 12 months before the filing date or priority date. If the application became available to the public due to the disclosure made in bad faith by any third party or made by the designer, his successor in title, or a third party as a result of information provided or action taken by the designer or his successor in title within the above-said period, it does not disprove the novelty of the design in the United Kingdom.

• Grant, validity term and design renewal fees

No official grant fee is required to be paid. Validity term of the patent for the industrial design in the UK constitutes five years as of the filing date. This term may be renewed four times up to a maximum of 25 years. An application for renewal must be filed six months before and one month after the expiration date of the registration to avoid late payment fees. Late payment is possible within a six-month grace period by paying a corresponding surcharge.

• Duration of registration procedure

The granting period does not usually exceed twelve months from the filing date.

• Representation by a attorney

For foreign applicants residing outside the United Kingdom it is recommended to perform the design prosecution in the UK through an agent, a registered UK attorney.

• Notes

1. Online Search Database for UK Industrial Designs.
2. In the UK there is specific legal protection for unregistered designs which is called “Design Right”. The design right may cover 3-dimensional shapes only. The validity of a design right is ten years after the first marketing of articles that use the design, or 15 years after the creation of the design - whichever is earlier.

The above information was verified on 11.03.2024
Please contact us if the above information is not in conformity with the UK IP Laws.