Process

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Filing to registration

• File a South African design registration
• In 9 months, your design should be accepted
• Arrange publication in the Designs Journal
• Within 14 months, you should receive a design registration certificate

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Example of completed form ⇨

• Complete the Iptica online design application form
• Sign forms
• Take photos of your product
• Upload the photos
• Select design type(s) and class(es)
• Pay US$195 by credit card

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A registered South African patent attorney will lodge your design registration with CIPC (the South African Patent Office).

We should email you a design registration number within one business day of payment.

Acceptance

In about 9 months, we should receive notice of acceptance of your design registration from the South African Patent Office (CIPC). This notice will be forwarded to you by email.

You can arrange publication of your South African design registration yourself. Alternatively, instruct us to arrange publication and grant of your South African design for US$70. Publication in the Designs Journal must take place within 3 months of acceptance. To meet this deadline, arrangements should be made within 7 weeks of acceptance.

Your design registration is granted on the date of publication in the South African Designs Journal.

Certificate of registration

About 3 months after publication, we should receive a certified copy of your South African design registration. We scan the registration certificate and send it to you by email. If required, we could courier this document to you for US$110.

Renewal

Design registrations must be renewed annually from the third anniversary of the earliest of: the filing date, the priority date, and the release date.

Your design registration is automatically uploaded to the PayAnnuity design renewal system ‐ an online renewal system that offers the most affordable patent, trademark and design renewals worldwide.

Note: The Berne Convention protects copyright in your 3D CAD files, your 2D engineering drawings and photos of your product. This copyright protection arises automatically and need not be registered. The design registration extends this copyright protection to 3D products made using an industrial process.