UK Proposes To Allow Designers To Mark Their Products With A Web Link

By Rishi Dhir for Intellectual Property Watch

The United Kingdom government is calling for evidence on a proposal to provide designers with an option to mark their products with a web link instead of stamping the product or attaching a label with registered design numbers to provide public notice of registered design rights.

“We are confident that virtual marking for registered designs will be very warmly welcomed by UK companies for whom design is key to their success,” UK Intellectual Property Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe said during the announcement of the proposal, according to a press release.

The problem, as per UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), is that multiple IP rights may be applicable to a single product, which “may lapse or be revoked at different points in time.” Rights owners have made claims to the UK IPO that the re-marking of products due to any change takes time and is very costly.

The proposal would amend UK’s Registered Designs Act 1949. Similar changes were introduced last year to patent rights through UK’s Intellectual Property Act 2014. The proposal explains that these changes enable “patent owners to stamp or label their UK products with a web address (next to the word ‘patent’ or ‘patented’) in order to provide constructive notice.”

According to the UKIPO, the call for evidence closes on 10 August 2015.

Rishi Dhir is an intern at Intellectual Property Watch. He holds a Juris Doctor with honours from the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. He also holds dual Bachelor Honour Degrees in Mathematics and Business Administration from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. Rishi has an interest in a variety of IP issues including copyright law, piracy and Internet governance.