Industrial Designs
At DIAZ FRANCO IP, we help companies and inventors protect the visual features that distinguish their products, strengthening their identity and differentiation in the market.
Industrial Designs
What can be protected through industrial designs?
We assess the visual characteristics of your products to identify the most appropriate protection strategy and help secure your designs across a wide range of products and industries.
Three-dimensional designs
Protection of the external appearance of products such as technology devices, furniture, appliances, footwear, toys, packaging, industrial tools, vehicles, and other products.
Two-dimensional designs
Protection of patterns, lines, textures, and color combinations applied to surfaces, products, packaging, or labels.
Graphical user interfaces (GUIs)
Protection of the visual design of screens, menus, icons, and digital environments for innovative mobile applications and software platforms.
Industrial Designs
Industrial design registration process
01
Novelty
Assessment
Preliminary searches and analysis to identify similar designs and assess the prospects for protection before filing.
02
Preparation of
Design Views
We advise on preparing the different views of the design—front, rear, side, top, bottom, and isometric—to properly represent the visual features to be protected.
03
Filing and
Follow-Up
Filing the application and monitoring the proceedings before the Patent Office, including responding to requirements that may arise during the registration process.
04
Design
Registration
Once registration is granted, the industrial design is protected in accordance with applicable law, allowing the owner to exercise the rights conferred by the registration against third parties.
The value of an industrial design
An industrial design registration protects the external appearance of a product, including its lines, contours, shapes, textures, and colors. This protection gives the owner the right to prevent third parties from using or commercially exploiting the registered design without authorization, helping strengthen the product’s market position and differentiation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about industrial designs
Industrial designs protect the visual appearance of products—an aspect that can be critical to market differentiation. However, questions often arise about what can be protected, the requirements for registration, and the scope of protection.
This section answers common questions about industrial designs and explains how to protect the visual aspects of your products and maximize the value that design can bring to your business.
What is the difference between an industrial design and a patent?
The main difference lies in what aspect of the innovation is protected. A patent protects the technical features of an invention—the technical solution to a particular problem. An industrial design, on the other hand, protects the visual appearance of a product, including its shape, configuration, lines, contours, textures, or colors.
In some cases, the same product may benefit from both patent and industrial design protection, provided it meets the applicable requirements for each form of protection.
What are the requirements for registering an industrial design in Colombia?
The key requirement is novelty. The design must be new and must not have been made available to the public anywhere in the world before the filing date.
If you have questions about the originality of your product, schedule a consultation with us.
How long does industrial design protection last?
In Colombia, industrial design protection lasts 10 years from the filing date. The term is not renewable, and once it expires, the design enters the public domain.
Does an industrial design registration protect me if a competitor makes minor modifications?
An industrial design registration provides legal tools to act against unauthorized use of identical designs or designs with only minor differences from the protected design.
Whether infringement has occurred depends on the specific characteristics of the case and the scope of protection conferred by the registration.
Can an industrial design be protected internationally from Colombia?
Yes. The right of priority may generally be claimed within six months of filing in Colombia to seek protection in other countries.
Contact us today for more information.
