Designs • Patents • Copyright
Your brand name is only part of the story. The way your product looks, the work you create, and the things you invent all deserve protection — and each has its own legal tool.
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Protect how your product looks — its shape, contours, colours, texture and decoration — with a registered design.
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Protect what you create — original literary, musical and artistic work — and act when it's used without permission.
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Protect what you invent — new, inventive products and processes capable of industrial application.
01 — Designs
The appearance of your product is often a big factor in whether a customer chooses it over a competitor's. If you've invested time and skill in how your product looks, protect it as a registered design.
✓ The appearance of the whole or part of a product
✓ Lines, contours, colours and texture
✓ Physical shape
✓ Decoration
✕ Features dictated solely by the product's technical function
✕ Features that must fit another product for it to work (“must fit”)
✕ Features that must match another part (“must match”)
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Your design must differ from prior designs by more than immaterial details.
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It must produce a different overall impression on the informed user compared with prior designs.
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Register within 12 months of first making the design available to the public.
Everything you need to secure your registered design — handled end to end.
✓ One design filed
✓ 30-minute design consultation
✓ UK Design Database search for prior designs
✓ Novelty report based on the search results
✓ Application filed by a Trade Mark Attorney
✓ Full reporting & registration certificate
Applying to register a design at the UKIPO is relatively cheap and quick — book a consultation to find out more about the process.
Book now©
Copyright arises automatically in the UK the moment you create an original work — no registration required.
02 — Copyright
If you have created an original literary, musical or artistic work, there is always a risk that someone will use it without your permission. Automatic protection is only useful if you can prove your rights — and enforce them.
→ Understand what's protected — we map exactly which of your works copyright covers.
→ Prove ownership — so when a dispute arises, the evidence is already on your side.
→ Act on infringement — plain-English advice and decisive action when your work is used without permission.
Let's talk copyright03 — Patents
A patent is a legal right that protects an invention — extremely important because it stops others from making, using or selling what you've invented. Three requirements must be satisfied:
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Your invention must not already be known to the public — anywhere in the world.
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It can't be a simple, obvious modification of something that already exists.
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It must be something that can be made or used in some kind of industry.
Top tip
Keep your invention a secret before filing a patent application — public disclosure can destroy the novelty your patent depends on.
We work with consultant Patent Attorneys who can assist with your patent enquiry — from first assessment to filing. Send us an email or book a call and we'll point you in the right direction.
Discuss an inventionA registered design protects how a product looks; copyright protects original creative work; a patent protects how an invention works. In the UK, designs must be registered (within 12 months of going public, from £550 professional fee at Neo Percept IP), copyright arises automatically on creation, and patents require the invention to be new, inventive and industrially applicable. Many products need more than one of these — which is why we review your IP as a whole.
Common questions
The appearance of the whole or part of a product — lines, contours, colours, texture, shape and decoration. It won't cover features dictated purely by technical function, or “must fit / must match” features.
£550 fixed professional fee (no VAT; UKIPO filing fees additional) — including a 30-minute consultation, UK Design Database search, novelty report, attorney filing and full reporting through to your certificate.
Yes — it arises the moment you create an original literary, musical or artistic work. The hard parts are proving ownership and enforcing it, which is where we come in.
Inventions that are new, inventive and capable of industrial application. And remember: keep the invention secret until you've filed — disclosure can destroy novelty.
That's exactly what a free 30-minute consultation is for. Tell us what you've made — we'll tell you how to protect it, with fixed fees and no jargon.
Book a free consultation →
If you have a new invention and would like to discuss filing a patent, we are here to help.Speak to an intellectual property law firm in London and the UK, by booking a free 30-minute consultation or sending an email to enquiries@neopercept.co.uk