January 19, 2016
Possible Fee Reductions for UK Registered Designs
Possible Fee Reductions for UK Registered Designs
Designers take note: the UKIPO has recently launched a consultation (found here) to reduce the filing and renewal fees for UK registered designs. The current fees were last amended in 2006 and were based on the paper-based filing system. Interestingly, these current UK fees are higher than those charged for the Registered Community Design. The proposed new fees, which will only apply to applications filed online, will allow designers to file for multiple aspects of their design in one application at a fraction of the current cost. This is particularly important for designers of products that are multi-faceted - more aspects of the design being registered means that there will be more enforcement avenues. As with the current practice, UK design applications are not examined substantially. Once the application has satisfied the relevant formalities’ requirements, it will proceed automatically to registration. However, if an owner chooses to enforce this design at a later stage, it may be challenged on the basis of invalidity. A significant reduction in filing fees may “crowd” the register with potentially invalid design registrations. Nonetheless, the fee reduction by the UKIPO is no doubt a welcomed move by numerous designers, especially those who are only interested in registered UK design protection. The current fees and the proposed new fees are: Application Fees
  Current Fee Proposed Fees
Application for one design £60 £50
Application for up to 10 designs £420 £70
Application for up to 20 designs £820 £90
Renewal Fees
  Current Fee Proposed Fees
Renewal fee after 5 years £130 £70
Renewal fee after 10 years £210 £90
Renewal fee after 15 years £310 £110
Renewal fee after 20 years £450 £140
Total Renewal Fees to be Paid for 25 Years of Protection £1100 £410


If your design is due for renewal on or after 6 April 2016, these new lower fees may apply to you. If you want to discuss this post or how this may affect you or your business, please email us at blog@stobbsip.com.
Tags
Designs & Copyright /  IP basics

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