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Registering a Community Design protects the visual appearance of your product — its shape, contours, lines, colours, and ornamentation — across all EU member states from a single application. Our team at Brealant manages the process from representations through to registration.
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Legal Definition of a Registered Community Design
A Registered Community Design (RCD) under Community Design Regulation 6/2002 protects the overall visual appearance of a product, based on representations filed with the application, with unitary effect across all EU member states.
Purpose and Function of Design Registration
Registration is granted after a formalities check, giving an initial 5-year term, renewable in further 5-year terms up to a maximum of 25 years.
Protecting Your Product's Appearance
An RCD gives you documented, dated proof of ownership over your product's appearance across the whole EU, enforceable immediately upon registration without needing a separate certification step.
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Contact
Discuss your product and design features with Brealant.
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Search
We run a design search to confirm novelty and individual character.
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Quote
Receive a service quote based on the number of designs and product complexity.
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Pay
Proceed with secure payment for the selected services.
File
We prepare compliant representations and lodge the application with EUIPO.
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Wait
EUIPO checks the application meets formal requirements.
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Response
You receive confirmation once the design registers, often within days to a few weeks.
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In the European Union, a registrable design must be new and have individual character, protected through representations — drawings or photographs — filed with the application. Because EUIPO registration follows a formalities check rather than substantive novelty examination, getting the representations right the first time is the clearest way to a smooth, fast registration.
A Registered Community Design gives you documented, dated proof of ownership over your product's appearance across every EU member state, and the ability to stop competitors from copying it — with enforceable rights from the moment of registration, unlike jurisdictions that require a separate certification step. Brealant manages the application so this protection is secured correctly.
Certain elements cannot be protected through Community Design registration, including
Function Alone
Features dictated solely by the product's technical function, rather than its appearance, generally aren't protectable as a design.
Non-Novel Designs
Designs identical or producing the same overall impression as something already publicly disclosed before filing.
Your Own Prior Disclosure
Designs you disclosed outside the 12-month grace period before filing.
Methods or Ideas
Underlying methods, ideas, or concepts, as opposed to their specific visual expression.
Public Policy or Morality
Designs contrary to public policy or accepted principles of morality.
EUIPO's formalities check focuses on the representations filed and these baseline exclusions; genuine novelty is only substantively tested if the design is later challenged through an invalidity action.
A Registered Community Design protects various visual elements of a product across the EU. The protection extends to
Shape
The three-dimensional form and contours of the product.
Lines and Contours
The lines, edges, and silhouette that define the product's appearance.
Colours and Materials
Colour combinations and material texture closely associated with the product's look.
Ornamentation
Decorative features and surface patterns applied to the product's appearance.
By partnering with design experts across the EU, you can ensure your product's appearance is properly documented and protected from copying in every member state.
The registration process typically involves
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Filing
The application, with representations, is lodged with EUIPO.
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Formalities Examination
EUIPO checks the application meets formal requirements and the baseline exclusions under the Regulation.
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Registration
The design registers, giving an initial 5-year term with effect across the whole EU.
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Publication
The design is published in the Community Designs Bulletin, unless deferred publication was requested.
Because registration is based on a formalities check rather than substantive novelty examination, straightforward applications can register in as little as a few days to a few weeks of filing.
The cost of Community Design registration depends on the number of designs filed
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EUIPO charges an official filing fee per design, typically in the region of €350 for a single design, with reduced fees for bundled multiple-design applications.
Brealant's professional fee covers preparing representations and filing, quoted upfront based on the number of designs.
EUIPO's formalities check focuses on the representations filed and these baseline exclusions; genuine novelty is only substantively tested if the design is later challenged through an invalidity action.
Once registered, a design can be renewed at each 5-year mark and actively monitored for copying across all member states. Brealant supports clients through each of these stages to maintain strong, EU-wide protection.
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An initial 5-year term, renewable in further 5-year terms up to a maximum total term of 25 years.
No — EUIPO registration follows a formalities check only. Novelty and individual character are only substantively tested if a third party later files an invalidity action.
Yes, provided it's within the EU's 12-month grace period before filing — disclosures outside that window can destroy novelty.
The overall visual appearance of a product resulting from its shape, contours, lines, colours, or ornamentation.
Often just days to a few weeks, since registration follows a formalities check rather than substantive examination.
Under EU law, where a design is developed by an employee in the course of their duties, the employer is generally entitled to the design, unless otherwise agreed.
Yes — a multiple application lets you bundle up to 100 designs in one filing, provided they relate to products in the same Locarno classification class, reducing cost and administration.
It's the international system EUIPO uses to classify the products your design applies to; correct classification affects search accuracy and how your design is indexed on the register.
Yes — a Registered Community Design, or an application for one, can support a subsequent International Registration under the Hague System covering other member countries.
Representations (drawings or photographs) showing the design clearly from the necessary views, the applicant's details, and the product indication under Locarno classification.
Discover more insights and stay informed about the latest in intellectual property with Brealant's blog. From expert advice on trademark registration and patent protection to strategies for safeguarding your brand in a competitive market, our resources are here to empower your business. .
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