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Community Designs (RCD)
The Regulation on Community Designs makes it possible to obtain design protection in the whole EU area by filing a single application. The Community Design is a protection system that operates separately form national registrations. Registration authority is OHIM, the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade marks and Designs), which is situated in Alicante, Spain. The Regulation stipulates on protection under a registered design and an unregistered design. The Regulation entered into force on 6 March 2002.
OHIM started to receive registration applications on 1 January 2003 and the actual registration of designs started on 1 April 2003.
Protection for an unregistered design is an already existing form of protection. In order to obtain protection one need not take any measures for registration, but the design must, however, fulfill certain requirements laid down in the Regulation. Protection term for an unregistered design is short (3 years) and its scope of protection is very limited (protects only against copying).
Regulation on Community Designs
For forms and the table of fees on the OHIM website.