Design rights are one of the Intellectual Property rights that protect the appearance of a product, or a part of it.

This topic is explained in 4 Reasons 4 Design Rights: An Interactive Guide, recently published by 4iP Council, in cooperation with experts and academics and aimed at SMEs.

The guide is organised in four chapters: Exclusivity, Commercialisation, Reputation and Value. Each of these segments is enriched with best practices, useful tips and straightforward explanation of design rights, in order to inform and guide in the protection and exploitation of such intangible good.

Designs registration helps businesses to strengthen their competitive advantage and stand out, prevent work from being copied and build assets for value creation. In order to be protected, the design needs to be new and with an individual character, different from any pre-existing ones.

4iP Council also released 4 Reasons 4 Trademarks, 4 Reasons to Patent and 4 Reasons 4 Copyright.