Your intellectual property - copyright - trademarks

Designs registrations

Register one or more designs in Switzerland or internationally for a 5-year protection. Choose the countries in which you wish to register and determine the categories in which your design will be registered. Ask our attorneys and legal experts any questions you may have about design registration.

In Switzerland, an application to register a design must be filed with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI). It is strongly recommended to check that the design is available before applying for registration. A minimum fee of CHF 200.- is charged by the IPI for registration.

Protection can be sought for different classes of protection. There are currently 32, for example for articles of clothing (class 2), watchmaking products (class 10), or pharmaceutical or cosmetic products (class 28).

A design can be protected in Switzerland only, or internationally, with the option of choosing the countries in which protection is desired. The greater the number of countries, the more expensive the registration, since each country levies a registration fee.

Design protection lasts 5 years, with 4 possible 5-year renewals, for a total of 25 years. Design protection begins on the date of application, even before the design is formally registered. This provides almost immediate protection for the owner, which is particularly important if the registration procedure is delayed or prolonged, for example because of opposition in Switzerland or abroad.

Legalify offers assistance to register your designs. Our registration fees start from 400.- Swiss francs and vary according to the number of countries and classes of protection required. Contact us for a quote.