The representations must be accurate and reproducible. Contours and details of the design must clearly appear in the representations.
The design must be presented "in the way it appears to the eye". Technical drawings and the like cannot be accepted. However, in certain exceptional cases cross-sectional representations can be accepted if they are necessary for the comprehension of the design. If protection is sought for only a part of the product, the part in question can be drawn in solid lines and the rest of the product (i.e. the part excluded from protection) can be drawn in dotted lines. See examples of different ways or representing a design.
The design can be pictured in different positions. A deckchair for instance can be pictured in a sitting and in a folded position.
The design must be pictured against a background which is as neutral as possible.
The representations must not show anything else but the design for which registration is sought. In other words, the representations must not present the use of the design: if protection is sought for a table, there must not be a tablecloth or flowers on it.
The representation must not be larger than A4.
The design for which protection is sought must be shown entirely in the representations. Not even the smallest part may be left outside the representations. However, an enlargement of a detail of the design can be presented, whereupon only a part of the design is shown in the representation. This requires that also such a picture is presented which is taken from the same direction and shows the entire design.
It is important to note that the representations must show for which design protection is sought.
The representations must give a clear idea of the entire appearance of the design. It is advisable to use several different views in the representation of the design in order to give a complete picture of the design. In general, one gets a good idea of the design if at least one representation is shown at an oblique angle, and, furthermore, one or several pictures at a direct angle.
Each representation must be filed with the registering authority in identical triplicate. The representations can be either black and white or in colour. The registration is normally black and white. It is, however, possible to limit the application to cover a design in a certain colour (so-called registration in colour). Registration in colour is worth applying for when colours have a particular meaning in the design. When applying for registration in colour, the representations must be filed in identical triplicate and at least two of the representations must be in colour and have identical colours. The third representation may be either black and white or in colour according to the applicant's choice.
Examples of different ways or representing a design: