The Design Registration League

Design Discussions general design discussion
1

This was in the most recent issue of IDSA’s Design Perspectives because IDSA is a founding member. Thought it might be interesting for discussion.

www.protectdesigns.org/

The Design Registration League is a coalition of design-conscious companies, associations and individual designers whose singular goal is to get the U.S. Congress to introduce and pass long overdue sui generis industrial design legislation. Such a law would not only strengthen our national economy, but also harmonize our laws with international design protection systems such as found, for example, in the model enacted by the European Union. In addition, by recognizing the creativity of industrial designers, it would treat them as a national resource, as do other nations.

What do you think?

2

I skimmed through it quickly and it sounds interesting, I’ll have to read through it more in depth… dreadful looking website though…

3

It makes sense that the two original corporate charter members are listed. They are probably the most knocked-off companies in the consumer products business. If I were them I would cough-up the $5K to get this off the ground too. I wonder what type of teeth the registry will have to combat copies though…

Any organization that promotes good design and also attempts to protect it is OK in my book.

4

Indeed terrible website.

I read through most of the the site and the 16 page manifesto PDF…Im not a lawyer so maybe am missing something here, but can’t really see the issue.

The author is claiming that the design registration process should be more simple and inexpensive than design patent, but cant really see how that is supposed to work. also with respect to the EU, while I have no idea of the system there, market wise, cant see much of a difference in the usual discount store copies…

The basic premise is what doesnt jive to me. The industry is now supposedly embracing deisdgn and recognizing industrial design, and the consumer is willing to pay more for designer products, yet there is a large issue with copies and knockoffs…

…seems contradictory in some way. I can sort of see the point, but if a consumer is indeed so design concious surely they are also aware of what’s an original and what is a copy. just not willing to shell out the $$$ for the original.

good intentions either way. Given that there doesnt seem to be much but a lawyer with too miuch time on his hands, surprised to see Umbra and IDSA have joined.

R