Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

EC definition

What does EC mean? In legal practice, “EC” is used as shorthand for two distinct concepts: 1. European Commission: The executive arm of the European Union. While “EC” is not a defined statutory term, the Commission is established by the EU Treaties. UK and Irish lawyers encounter “EC” in EU law and competition law materials, case citations, merger control decisions, and references to pre‑Lisbon instruments titled “Regulation (EC) No …”. Post‑Brexit, the term persists in retained EU law, parallel UK/EU investigations, and cross‑border regulatory matters. 2. Emergency controller: A role title found in emergency planning and health and safety practice (for example, COMAH sites, construction...

UK design rights post‑Brexit: practical guide to registered and unregistered protection, filing strategy, disclosure and grace periods, evidencing, ownership, marking and enforcement, with EU comparisons and forthcoming reforms

Published by a LexisNexis IP expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note offers hands-on guidance to help design proprietors secure the available protection, including strategic factors to weigh when defining the scope of a design portfolio. It addresses issues for registered and unregistered designs separately. Matters pertinent to both registered and unregistered designs are considered in the sections: Other considerations and Conclusion—top tips for effective protection of design rights below.

Design protection in the UK

In the UK, designs can be protected through several mechanisms. These rights are cumulative—multiple rights may exist concurrently in a design for the same product or article.

UK registered designs (including re-registered designs and re-registered international designs)
UK unregistered design right (also known as ‘design right’)
supplementary unregistered design right (SUD)

Each right varies in qualifying criteria, scope, and length of protection. For further detail, see Practice Notes: UK registered and unregistered designs and Comparison tables for design protection available in the UK.

Design reforms

On 4...

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Gemma Jones-Parry

Baker McKenzie

Gemma is a Senior Associate in Baker McKenzie's London Intellectual Property practice.Her practice encompasses a broad range of contentious and non-contentious aspects of IP, both online and offline, with a particular focus on copyright (including online issues around intermediary liability, notice and takedown and enforcement), music licensing (online and offline), brand enforcement (specifically trade marks, passing off, design rights and copyright), and domain name and company name disputes. Gemma qualified in 2014 and is based in the London office, while regularly undertaking in-house secondments with clients to develop a deeper understanding of her client's businesses. She is involved in the firm's pro-bono work as well as its many initiatives, including BakerOpportunity, BakerWomen and BakerAllies....

Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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