PRESS RELEASE: Government announces major reform of UK design protection

Designers will get simpler protection, a cheaper route to court and new safeguards against copycat registrations under reforms announced by the government. But it has ruled out making the copying of unregistered designs a criminal offence.

The government has announced a major overhaul of the UK’s designs system, which it says will make protecting and enforcing designs simpler for the country’s 80,000 design businesses. Lone designers and micro-businesses make up an estimated 92% of the sector, and they have long found the current system complex and expensive.

The reforms, announced on 4 November 2026, are the government’s response to a consultation led by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), which closed in November 2025.

What’s changing

• Stopping copycat registrations. Some people register designs they didn’t create, such as a competitor’s product or a generic item, and then use those registrations to have rival products taken down from online marketplaces. Businesses caught up in these cases have reported spending between £10,000 and more than £50,000 to resolve them. The IPO will get new powers to check whether a design is genuinely new, and whether it differs clearly from what already exists, before registering it. The government will also consider powers to refuse applications made in bad faith.
• A cheaper route to court. For the first time, registered design cases will be able to go through the Small Claims Track of the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, a simpler, lower-cost route for straightforward disputes worth up to £10,000.
• More time before launch. Designers will be able to apply for protection early and keep their design out of public view for up to 30 months, in line with the EU and the international Hague system.
• Simpler unregistered protection. The rules on what qualifies for unregistered design protection, and how long it lasts, will be brought into line, making them easier to understand. Supplementary unregistered design protection will also apply when a design is first shown anywhere in the world. This removes a post-Brexit disadvantage for UK designers launching at international trade fairs or online.
• Easier registration. Objections will be set out in a single report, deadlines will be standardised and the registrar will be able to correct errors.
• Animated and digital designs. The law will make clear that designs with animation or movement can be registered, and they can be filed as moving image files.

The government will keep the current rules on computer-generated designs while it monitors the use of AI in design.

No criminal penalties for unregistered designs

Deliberately copying a registered design has been a criminal offence since 2014. The government considered extending this to unregistered designs but concluded there was “insufficient robust evidence” that it would be a balanced, proportionate and effective remedy, and has ruled it out. The decision has been criticised by Anti Copying in Design (ACID), but welcomed by the IP Federation, which favours civil enforcement.

Reaction

Ian Murray MP, Minister for Creative Industries, said: “Too many self-employed designers and small studios have had their work copied or been dragged into legal disputes, costing thousands of pounds, for simply protecting what they’ve created. These reforms will make the system simpler, fairer and more affordable, so that smaller businesses can protect their ideas and focus on their growth.”

The British Jewellery Council welcomed the reforms on behalf of the jewellery trade: “The jewellery, silverware, watchmaking and allied crafts sector is built on creativity, innovation and original design, from intricate hand-carved pieces to cutting-edge computer-aided design (CAD). We welcome the progress being made through these reforms, which will help small businesses and designers protect their unique creations with greater confidence.”

The changes were also welcomed by the Design Council, the British Fashion Council, Walpole and the patent and trade mark attorneys’ professional bodies, CIPA and CITMA.

Many of the changes need new laws, which the government will introduce when parliamentary time allows.

Find out more: the government’s full response to the consultation is published on GOV.UK.