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Applying for designs
Design means the external finish of a product or part of a product consisting of features, in particular the lines, contours, colours, shape, texture or material of the product itself or of its decoration. A design is eligible for protection if it is new and has a distinctive character. The owner of a registered design shall have the exclusive right to exploit the registered design, that is to say, no one may exploit it without his consent. Design protection lasts for 5 years from the date of filing of the design application and may be extended up to four times at the request of the owner of the design, each time for a further 5 years for a total period of 25 years.
The service is part of the design proceedings and is carried out in several steps, from the filing of the application for registration of the design in the Register, the applicant's two-way communication with the Office through subsequent submissions, to the decision on the application for registration of the design in the Register. Ordinary and extraordinary remedies are also available in the context of subsequent filings.