Design in all areas is protected as an industrial design, which receives legal protection subject to its state registration.
An industrial design is an artistic and design solution for an industrial or handicraft product, which determines its appearance (product design).
An industrial design can consist of three-dimensional elements, for example, the shape of an article, or two-dimensional elements, for example, an ornament, a configuration, or a combination of colors.
The legal protection of an industrial design is confirmed by a patent.
An industrial design differs from an invention and a utility model as an object of legal protection, since it is not a technical solution, but a solution related only to the appearance of the product.
In most countries, the criteria for patentability of a design are novelty and originality, and there is no restriction on the category of applicants.
The Hague Agreement allows applicants to register a design embodied in an industrial design by filing one international application with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). An international registration application allows design owners to protect their designs with minimal formalities in multiple countries or regions.
International industrial design applications may contain up to 100 designs, provided that they all belong to the same class of the International Classification for Industrial Designs.
There is a comprehensive legal protection of design, which consists not only in the state registration of an industrial design, but also in the additional registration of individual design elements as a trademark.
