We've had several businesses seeking advice about protecting their new products recently and in each case there has been a problem with design registration.
On the face of it registering the design looks like a good idea - it's quick, it's relatively cheap, and it doesn't appear to involve any legal expertise, so why not? The problems arose in three areas.
Firstly, there is a potential trap in when you apply to register - do it too soon and you could lose the chance of getting patent protection, but if you leave it too late, you might give yourself a problem with protecting the design in other countries. Read more