Survey on priorities to shape UK system for protecting designs
Published 25 February 2025
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The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published a new survey aimed at designers, design businesses, legal professionals and anyone interested in design. This will explore the principles which should shape the future of the UK designs system.
The designs sector is an economically important one and contributed £97.4 billion GVA to the UK economy in 2019, equivalent to 4.9% total GVA. In 2021 there were 80,665 design businesses in the UK of which 92% were microbusinesses (<9 employees).
The UK designs protection system should help people grow the economy through investment in innovation and creativity. The IPO is reviewing the UK designs framework to make sure it is fit for the future and supports designs businesses of all sizes. A call for views on designs and call for views on designs: Government response were published in 2022.
Ahead of a formal consultation later in the year, we want to understand more about users’ priorities for the system.
To ensure we have the basics right and are guided by the right priorities, the IPO has identified 5 principles which we think are important to users.
The 5 principles are:
- cost – the system should offer value for money
- validity – the system should provide appropriate level of validity and clarity about existence of IP rights of rights
- speed – design protection should be quick to obtain and enforce
- choice – the system should provide choice for designers
- simplicity – the system should be as simple as possible
We want to know which of these principles are most important to users and why. We also want to know whether the definition of a design in intellectual property law meets the needs of designers and consumers in the digital age.
The IPO is asking businesses and designers to share their views by taking part in a short survey.
We want to hear from businesses of all sizes, and from a wide range of sectors which use design protection – whether an individual entrepreneur, start-up, established firm or large corporate. We also want to hear from trade bodies and legal professionals.
The survey will help the IPO to better understand what is important to users of the designs system. We will use responses to inform options for change to the framework, which we will consult on later in the year.
The IPO’s Director of Rights Policy Chris Mills said:
The IPO is reviewing the UK’s designs framework to make sure it is fit for the future and supports designs businesses of all sizes.
Great design is at the heart of successful UK products and businesses, helping them stand out in an increasingly competitive global marketplace and driving growth in our economy. We have published a new design protection survey and want to hear from everyone who has a stake in the UK’s thriving design economy - whether you’re a designer, manufacturer, trade body or simply interested in design.
You don’t need to be an IP expert to take part in our design protection survey and share your views with us. Your experience and insights will help us ensure our designs framework remains modern, accessible and fit for the digital age. I strongly encourage everyone to contribute before 1 April and help shape the future of design protection in the UK.
We want to hear from you
The survey closes on 1 April 2025. Responses will be analysed, and a summary of themes will be published alongside the consultation later in 2025. To take part visit the design review survey.