The Salone safeguards intellectual property, year upon year

When it comes to designs and models, the European Union (EU) provides this precise definition: a design consists of the appearance of a product and can represent almost any type of industrial or handicraft object. The rights to this intellectual property are of great importance to businesses of all sizes: besides being an asset in itself, a well-protected portfolio can attract new investment. Design or model protection grants the exclusive right to use the design or model, which includes manufacturing, supplying, marketing, importing, exporting or using the product.

This is further reason why the Salone del Mobile.Milano has decided to provide a new service to its exhibitors, giving them the opportunity to protect their designs and models through the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), with a range of possible options for unregistered designs at Community level or registered designs and models (RCDs) and at national level through the UIBM – Italian Patent and Trademark Office at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy.

There are two steps to the process: applying for a grant from the SME Fund, and filing your design for registration as a Community design. Measure promoted by EUIPO in collaboration with the European Commission and the national Intellectual Property Offices.

All the requisite information can be found in the exhibitors’ area of the website, in the new “how-protect-your-design” section.

As the latest editions, the Salone del Mobile.Milano guarantees exhibitors the "Industrial Property Protection Service" aimed at informing them of the content and characteristics of industrial property rights and of the means available to protect them from any interference; provide information and technical-legal assistance in the event of suspected counterfeiting of industrial property rights and draw up a report on the exhibition of a product as part of the Exhibition.