Mia's phone case
Mia designs a new phone case. It has a clever shape and a bright pattern. She sells it online.
A month later, another seller has a copy. It looks the same. It costs less.
Can Mia stop them? That depends on whether she protected her idea. This is called intellectual property.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Intellectual property (IP) | Ideas and creations that the law lets you own. | A design or an invention |
| Patent | A right that protects a new invention: how something works. | A new way to charge a battery |
| Registered design | A right you apply for that protects how a product looks. | The shape of a phone case |
| Unregistered design | A right you get without applying. It protects a design for a shorter time. | A pattern you just created |
| Invention | A new thing or a new way to do something. | A new kind of sensor |
| Infringement | Using someone's protected idea without permission. | Copying a patented device |
| IPO | The Intellectual Property Office: the UK body that registers designs and patents. | Where you apply |
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Quick check: protect or not?
Have a go
Quick check: protect or not?
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Designs: how it looks
A design is how a product looks: its shape, pattern, colour or decoration. Not what it does. How it looks.
A registered design is one you apply for at the IPO. You send pictures and pay a fee. The right is strong and lasts a long time.
An unregistered design needs no form and no fee. It starts when you make the design. It is weaker and lasts for a shorter time. If someone copies it, you must prove they copied.
Patents: how it works
A patent protects a new invention. It is about how a thing works, not how it looks.
To get one, the invention must be new. You apply to the IPO. It takes time and costs money. It gives the owner the right to stop others from making or selling the invention.
Three rights compared
| Patent | Registered design | Unregistered design | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protects | How an invention works | How a product looks | How a product looks |
| How you get it | Apply to the IPO | Apply to the IPO | Automatic. No form |
| How long | A long time | A long time | A shorter time |
| Cost | High | Lower | Free |
| Digital example | A new method to save power in a phone | The look of a smart watch or an app icon | The shape of a new computer mouse |
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Extra: Going further: what a patent needs
An invention must pass three tests to get a patent. It must be new. It must not be obvious to an expert. It must be useful in industry.
In the UK, a computer program on its own cannot get a patent. A program that gives a real technical effect, such as in a machine, sometimes can.
Extra: Going further: how long each right lasts
| Right | Usual UK limit |
|---|---|
| Patent | Up to 20 years, with a fee each year |
| Registered design | Up to 25 years, if you renew it every 5 years |
| Unregistered design | Usually 3 to 15 years, depending on which right it is |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.