Attire Accessories - Seo/Oct 2019 (Issue 78)

ACID 25 BACK TO BASICS In the second of a two-part series, Dids Macdonald examines why IP matters In part one of Back to IP Basics , we covered various IP essential subjects to better understand what, to many, is a complicated set of laws. Now the focus is on design registration, protection of rights overseas, creating a proactive process for being alert to any design copies and also what you should do if you are unlucky enough to be copied. All designers should think about these IP nuggets to become more IP savvy. As Louis Pasteur once said, “Chance favours a prepared mind,” and there is no better advice about all things IP. Taking the time to know a little more about IP and being proactive may save you a lot of heartache further down the line. Should I register my designs? The answer is a resounding “yes” – if you can afford it! The good news is that thanks to a lot of campaigning by ACID, the UK intellectual property office has reduced its fees, so to register one design costs £50, and there is a scalable and reduced set of fees for multiple applications. So it is affordable and not cost-prohibitive. You can register the look of a product you’ve designed to stop people copying or stealing it. This means the appearance, physical shape, configuration (or how different parts of a design are arranged together) and surface decoration. If successful, you have a numbered certificate that is basically a piece of paper that confirms your design ownership. Registering your design will give you the right to prevent others from using it without your permission for up to 25 years, renewable by paying a fee every five years. If you display your design registration number on your packaging and refer to it in your marketing material, as well as referring to it on your website, it also acts as a deterrence against copying. Remember, the design must be new, not be offensive, must be your own and does not protect the way something functions or works. Alternatively, designers can send their designs to the ACID IP Databank. This does not confer additional rights but provides independent evidence of the date designs are received by ACID. A unique, tamper-proof certificate is also available. The IP Databank is particularly useful in supporting evidence of a design’s corpus from idea to marketplace at key stages. Evidence, whether you rely on a registered design or