All images are of AAR staff and partners
Allens Arthur Robinson Patent & Trade Marks Attorneys provides intellectual property services, specialising in Australia and New Zealand, and is integrated with the premier law firm, Allens Arthur Robinson
AARPTA homeAbout usOur teamPatentsTrade marksDesignsPublicationsIP links
Home »  
Print Version
Or use advanced search
Our services
FAQs
Application process
Copyright overlap
Commercialisation
Enforcement
Charges
Design team
 Feedback
 Subscribe


Designs: Our services

A registered design is a valuable piece of commercial property that allows you to act to prevent the appearance of your product from being copied by competitors.

A design is the overall appearance of a product resulting from one or more visual features. A visual feature of a product may be its overall shape or a two dimensional pattern or ornamentation applied to the product. The 'feel' of a product or the materials from which it is made is not regarded as a visual feature and can therefore can not be protected by a registered design.

For some information on the procedures involved to protect your IP, please see our FAQ and application process pages.

top of page

Design registration services

We can assist with you with all your design registration needs, including:

  • searches to establish registrability or freedom to use your design;
  • arranging to have suitable drawings prepared for your design application;
  • filing design applications in Australia and overseas;
  • responding to examination reports;
  • requesting Third Party Examination of a Registered Design;
  • extension of your design registrations (in Australia) and payment of renewal fees (overseas);
  • management of your portfolio of registered designs;
  • infringement and validity opinions; and
  • intellectual property audits, advising you of screening protocols for registrable designs and infringement risk management.
top of page

Basic filing requirements

In Australia, no power of attorney or authorisation of agent form is required.

The following information is required to file a design application in Australia:

  • the applicant's full name and address;
  • representations of the design as applied to an article which adequately show the features sought to be protected (preferably good quality line drawings showing top, bottom, left side, right side, front, back and perspective views); and
  • details of any convention priority claim.

Before acceptance, the following information is required:

  • details of how the applicant derived title from the author of the design.
top of page

Taking your intellectual property further

Our patent attorney team works very closely with our associated law firm, Allens Arthur Robinson, to give you designs advice that is second to none. Specialist designs lawyers at Allens Arthur Robinson can help you take your designs further both in the maximisation of their commercial potential, and the enforcement of your rights; as well as advising you in relation to defending an infringement allegation, or removing the design registration of one of your competitors.

Complex laws govern the overlap between design rights and copyright, and our copyright overlap team can assist you in negotiating the traps.


Melbourne +61 3 9614 1011
Sydney +61 2 9230 4000


Allens home | AARPTA home | Top of page | Disclaimer | Privacy | Sitemap | Offices
Allens Arthur Robinson Patent & Trade Marks Attorneys provides IP services, specialising in Australia and New Zealand, and is integrated with premier law firm Allens Arthur Robinson
© 2008 Allens Arthur Robinson, Australia | ptamail@aar.com.au

Allens Arthur Robinson - Clear Thinking