A registered design protects the appearance of a product. It can prevent a competitor from copying your product and taking advantage of your investment in its creation and development.

Designs can be registered in most countries of the world and protection is typically available for between 10 and 25 years. Of particular interest to companies having European markets is the Community Registered Design system. This allows cost-effective pan-European protection through a single design application.

The UK also has an unregistered design right (UDR) that can be used to stop competitors copying your design subject to certain criteria. However it is generally much more expensive to take action against third parties and the outcome less certain compared with actions based on registered design rights.