To be eligible for protection, designs must be new and must have an individual character.
In operation, Community designs registered by OHIM will ensure protection in all EU members states. Holders of registered Community designs have exclusive rights to use the design and prevent third parties from using it anywhere within the European union. Proprietors are be protected against deliberate copying and independent development of similar designs.
Registered Community designs are very cost effective, since they cover all European Union member states in a single registration. Further, for several designs of a same product type, multiple designs can be included in the same application, provided all the designs are included at the same time. This means that the cost of registration per design per country within the European Community can be low.
Additionally, as new member states join the European Union, registered Community designs are automatically extended to cover those new territories without any further registration procedure.
For registered Community designs, protection subsists for a maximum of 25 years with renewal required every 5 years from registration.