Design Registration and Protection Rights
A design refers to the appearance of any object or composite product produced by industrial or manual means, excluding computer programs. This includes elements such as packaging, graphic symbols, typographic characters, and various product parts. A design is distinguished based on visual features such as lines, shapes, forms, colors, materials, or surface textures.
What is Design Registration?
Under the Industrial Property Law, design registration ensures the legal protection of a design.
Registered Design: A design that is protected by being registered with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office.
Unregistered Design: Designs that are made available to the public in Turkey for the first time without any registration process.
Designs that are new and distinctive can be legally protected. Design registration gives identity to your products and grants you exclusive legal rights.
Design Registration Protection Period
Registered Design: Provides protection for 5 years from the application date. This period can be extended in 5-year increments for a total of up to 25 years.
Unregistered Design: Is protected for 3 years from the date it is first made available to the public.
How to Apply for Design Registration?
Who is the Applicant?
Individuals or legal entities can apply for design rights. The design right holder is the person who:
- Creates the design,
- Brings it to the market,
- Sells or commercializes the design.
Who is the Designer?
The designer is the person who creates the design. If there are multiple designers, their names must be specified individually. If requested, the designer's information can be kept confidential.
Expiration of Design Rights
Design rights expire in the following cases:
- If the design is considered null and void,
- If the protection period expires or the registration is not renewed,
- If the right holder renounces their rights.
Scope of Design Protection
A design is protected only in the country where it is registered. For international protection, the design must also be registered in the countries where it will be used.
Design Registration Services with Başalan Patent
As Başalan Patent Limited Company, with over 30 years of experience and our expert team, we provide services for the registration of your intellectual and industrial property rights both domestically and internationally. We are certified with ISO 9001:2008 Quality Certificate. For detailed information about design registration, trademark registration, and patent applications, you can contact us.