Drawings and Models
Designs or models that are new and have individual character may be registered.
DESIGN or MODEL means the appearance of the entire product or of a part of it which results, in particular, from the characteristics of the lines, contours, colours, shape, surface structure and/or materials of the product itself and/or its ornamentation.
A product is any industrial or handicraft object, including, but not limited to, components that must be assembled to form a complex product, packaging, and presentations, graphic symbols and typographical characters, but excluding computer programs.
A complex product is a product made up of multiple components that can be replaced, allowing the product to be disassembled and reassembled.
It is always advisable to conduct a sufficiently exhaustive prior art patent search before filing the application.
Protection is applicable from the date of publication, which occurs immediately in the case of a Community design, and from the date of filing for an Italian design.
You have the exclusive right to use the design and to prohibit the manufacturing, offering, marketing, importing, exporting, using or possessing for such purposes products incorporating the design and not producing a different overall impression on the informed user.
Designs that produce an overall impression different from other designs on the market are eligible for registration.
In crowded areas, even a small detail can be enough to create a different overall impression on the part of the informed user.
Patents can be filed for designs and models:
-patent for Italian design and model;
-patent for Community design
-International Design Patent (PCT)
The duration of protection is 25 years from the filing date with the payment of a variable maintenance fee every 5 years.
