Product’s design is often one of the most important aspects of a consumer product – the way companies shape and package their goods plays a crucial role in customers purchasing decisions. Distinctive and easily recognizable visual design carries the identity and reputation of a particular brand across the globe, including the vast Chinese market. Expanding into China represents an exciting opportunity for European SMEs to reap additional profits, but how can enterprises simply and inexpensively protect their designs? The most common types of intellectual property relevant to the design of the goods themselves are design patents and copyright, while packaging can be protected in China under additional types of IP law, such as the Trademark Law, the Patent Law, the Copyright Law and the Anti-unfair Competition Law.

Given the variety of options available, it is recommended to carefully plan a strategy of combined and layered protection through registration of IP. Depending on your specific business and your specific budget needs, your SME may choose to opt for only one kind of registration or may choose to combine different registrations as a bundle of rights for more comprehensive protection. While products themselves and technical features of packaging can be protected as utility models or invention patents, packaging and aesthetic features of industrial products are most commonly protected under design patent registration.  Design patents include any of the following external features of a product that are rich in aesthetic appeal and are fit for industrial application: Continue reading “Protect your Product’s Design in China: Know before You Go” »