Changes will help smaller businesses safeguard their work and modernise design protection.
The UK Government has announced a major overhaul of the UK’s designs system.
Following a consultation led by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), which closed in November 2025, the UK Government has set out a package of targeted reforms.
These include measures to:
- stop competitors copying designs and blocking designers from selling their own products
- give smaller design businesses a simpler, more affordable route to court when they believe their designs have been copied
- reduce the administrative burden of registering designs, with more consistent processes and simpler registered and unregistered protections
- clarify and modernise protection for designs involving animation, with new filing options for moving image files
For further information please select the following link: Designers to get stronger and simpler protection in major reforms - GOV.UK.