Unregistered Design Right

Unregistered Design Right is an automatic right which exists on the creation of a design document which may be a drawing, written description or a 3 dimensional article itself. The design right may run from the date of first conception of the design document or the date from when articles made to the design are first made available to the public. The lifetime of the unregistered design right may be 10 years from the date on which an article made to the design is first made available to the public or 15 years from the year in which the design document was created, whichever period is the shorter. Unregistered Design Right only extends to the shape of an article and not the pattern or ornament applied thereto and has many aspects in common with copyright.