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Any external design of an object includes the aesthetic aspects of form, pattern and colour, all fused in a symmetrical and three dimensional form. Industrial designers use these elements to come up with original designs of commercial products.

Industrial design rights are essentially a kind of intellectual property rights that belong to a person or company, once a particular design is created, granting them sole rights of usage over that design. Usually design of different objects like furniture, clothing, jewellery, etc are protected against unauthorized use by these rights, however they can even be extended to the unique design of a bottle, the design of a machine, etc.

Filing an application with the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) can guarantee safeguard of a particular design in member nations of the WIPO treaty. However, if the designer does not contact WIPO and still wants to safeguard his industrial design rights in different nations, then he has to seek protection separately from each country.

There are certain benefits of industrial design rights which cannot be neglected. Having a registered industrial design protects the aesthetic aspects of the object, including its looks and form. The owner of the design gets the right to take legal action against any unauthorized usage. This helps the rights holder to prevent others from making use of his or her design and reap the maximum commercial benefits out of his product.

Industrial design rights create fair competition among companies and foster better commercial practices that benefit the customers in the long run. They also incentivise creativity by punishing any unauthorized use of the product design. These rights acknowledge the hard work of the designers associated with the product, and pave the way for their hard work to be rewarded adequately.

Hence, like most other forms of IPR, industrial design also encourages earnest efforts and investments made by the designers and discourages attempts of plagiarism, thereby ensuring smooth running of global commerce.

Discover more about Trademarks Singapore and Industrial design protection.

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