# Design Registration > Explains registering a product’s appearance as an industrial design, Locarno classification, multiple applications and protection of up to 25 years. - Canonical: https://www.webx.net.tr/en/hizmetler/tasarim-tescil - Language: en - Last updated: 2026-10-11 - Publisher: Webx Marka Patent ve Fikri Sınai Haklar Danışmanlık A.Ş. (https://www.webx.net.tr/) _Machine-readable copy of the page above. The canonical HTML page is authoritative; fees and regulations may change — check the last-updated date._ --- The shape, form and pattern of your product can be copied by your competitors. Design registration records that appearance in the TÜRKPATENT register under your own name. - 17+ Years of Experience - TÜRKPATENT Authorized Attorney - GDPR/KVKK Compliant - Digital Client Portal ## In short: What Is Design Registration? Design registration is an industrial property right that protects, before TÜRKPATENT, the appearance of a product resulting from features such as its lines, shape, colour, texture and material. Under Article 56 of Industrial Property Law No. 6769 the design must be new and have individual character to be registered. Protection runs from the filing date in renewable five-year terms for a maximum of 25 years. If you, or someone with your consent, have already disclosed the design to the public, you have a 12-month grace period from that disclosure in which to file. ## A Trademark Shows Whose It Is, A Design Protects How It Looks In everyday speech every registration is called a "patent"; in law, however, separate rights protect separate things. Choosing the wrong type of application does not just waste fees — it leaves you unprotected. - **Trademark** — Protects distinctive signs such as names, logos and slogans. Can be maintained indefinitely by renewing every 10 years. - **Patent** — Protects an invention that provides a technical solution to a technical problem. Lasts 20 years in Türkiye and cannot be renewed. - **Design** — Protects the external appearance of the product. Lasts up to 25 years in five-year terms. - **Utility Model** — Faster and more economical protection with no inventive-step requirement. Lasts 10 years and cannot be extended. ### Products That Can Be Registered as Designs - Furniture silhouettes and shapes - Packaging and bottle shapes - Textile and surface patterns - Jewellery and accessory designs - Lighting products - Footwear and bag shapes - Toys and household goods - Graphical interfaces and icon sets Almost any industrial or handicraft product with a distinguishable appearance can be the subject of a design registration. We assess whether your design qualifies free of charge. ## How Is a Design Registered? We run the entire process end to end, from filing through to the renewal calendar. - 1 **Preliminary Design Assessment** Your design images are examined for novelty and individual character. If the design has already been disclosed to the public, whether the 12-month grace period has expired is checked at the very first step. - 2 **Locarno Classification** Your design is classified according to the international Locarno Classification used for industrial designs. If you have several designs falling in the same class, a multiple-application plan is drawn up. - 3 **Preparing the Application File** Images are prepared in line with TÜRKPATENT's technical requirements, and the file is compiled so that every view defining the scope of protection is included. - 4 **TÜRKPATENT Filing and Follow-up** The application is filed before TÜRKPATENT and every notification during the process is monitored; you are informed of any deficiency notice or opposition. - 5 **Registration and Renewal Calendar** After registration your protection term is recorded in your customer panel, and automatic reminders are sent as each five-year renewal period approaches. ## If How Your Product Looks Is Your Competitive Advantage - **Manufacturers** — Use registration to stop products you invested in tooling and shaping from being copied. - **Packaging and Food Brands** — A bottle, box or packaging shape often becomes as recognisable as the brand itself. - **Designers and Studios** — Record the patterns and shapes in your portfolio in the register under your own name. - **Digital Product Teams** — Graphical interfaces and icon sets can also be the subject of a design registration. If your design is already on the market, the clock is running If you, or someone with your consent, disclosed the design, a 12-month grace period is granted for filing. Once it expires your own disclosure destroys novelty; the grace period gives no protection against a similar design independently published by someone else in the meantime. ## Frequently Asked Questions Ask us anything you want to know about design registration. - **What is design registration?** — Design registration is an industrial property right that legally protects, before TÜRKPATENT, the appearance of a product resulting from features such as its lines, shape, colour, texture and material. A trademark protects whose product it is and a patent protects how it works, while a design registration protects how it looks. Registration requires novelty and individual character (SMK Article 56), and protection lasts up to 25 years through five-year renewals. - **What is the difference between design registration and a patent?** — Design registration protects a product's external appearance, while a patent protects how it works technically. A patent protects an invention that provides a technical solution to a technical problem, requires an inventive step and lasts 20 years in Türkiye without renewal. Design registration requires novelty and individual character and protects for up to 25 years in five-year terms. Both can be obtained for the same product: the mechanism by patent, the appearance by design. - **What conditions must a design meet to be registered?** — Design registration requires two conditions: novelty and individual character (Article 56 of Industrial Property Law No. 6769). Novelty means the identical design has not been disclosed to the public before; individual character means the overall impression it produces on an informed user differs from that of earlier designs. If you, or someone with your consent, disclosed the design to the public, there is a 12-month grace period to file. - **I have already launched my design — can I still register it?** — Yes, in most cases a design already on the market can still be registered. Under SMK Article 57(2), disclosure of the design by you or by someone with your consent does not affect the novelty or individual character of an application filed within 12 months of that disclosure. The grace period only covers your own disclosure: a similar design developed independently and published by someone else in the meantime can still stand in your way. If you miss the 12 months, your own disclosure destroys novelty, so file without delay. - **How many years does a design registration protect me?** — A registered design is protected for 5 years from the filing date and, through renewal in five-year terms, can be protected for a maximum of 25 years (SMK Article 69). If the renewal request is not submitted on time, protection ends; for Webx clients renewal periods are flagged through the panel. An unregistered design, by contrast, is protected for only 3 years from the date it was first made available to the public in Türkiye. - **What is the Locarno classification?** — The Locarno Classification is the international system that groups industrial designs by product type. It differs from the Nice classification for trademarks in one important way: under SMK Article 61(3), the product name, class and description given in the application do not affect the scope of protection; the scope is set by the design shown in the visual representation. The class still matters, because in a multiple application all designs (except ornamentation) must belong to the same class. - **Can I register several designs in a single application?** — Yes, several designs falling within the same Locarno class can be registered under one application, known as a multiple application; ornamentation is exempt from this same-class requirement. For companies that want to protect every variation in a product family, this is an advantage in both process and cost. At the preliminary assessment your designs are classified and, where appropriate, a multiple application plan is drawn up. - **Which products can be registered as designs?** — Almost any industrial or handicraft product with a distinguishable appearance can be registered as a design. Examples include furniture silhouettes, packaging and bottle shapes, textile patterns, jewellery, lighting products, toys, footwear shapes, and graphical interfaces and icon sets. Registration requires the design to be new and to have individual character; we assess its suitability free of charge. - **Should I register my logo as a design or as a trademark?** — If your logo indicates commercial origin, that is, whose goods or services they are, the right protection is trademark registration. Trademark protection can be renewed every 10 years and maintained indefinitely, whereas design registration lasts a maximum of 25 years through five-year renewals. For graphic elements the two can also be combined; which one takes priority depends on how you intend to use it. - **Is a design registration valid abroad as well?** — No, a design registration is not valid abroad. Like trademarks, design rights are territorial; a registration obtained before TÜRKPATENT protects you only in Türkiye. For protection abroad you need to file separately in the target countries. If you have an export plan, the filings in your target markets should be planned together with your Turkish application. - **How much does design registration cost?** — The cost of design registration is not fixed; it depends on the number of designs, whether a multiple application is used and the Locarno class coverage. TÜRKPATENT official fees are a separate item from the service fee and are updated every year; a renewal fee is also payable every 5 years while protection continues. Once we have reviewed your designs we send you a clear, itemised quote. - **Can my design application be refused?** — Yes, a design application can be refused. TÜRKPATENT can refuse applications that do not fit the definition of a design, are contrary to public order or are found to lack novelty (SMK Article 64). Lack of individual character is not a ground the Office raises on its own; it comes up through third-party opposition within three months of publication of the registration, or in an invalidity action. Webx gives no guarantee of outcome, as stated in its service agreement; we measure the risk before filing and report it transparently. - **Which images do I need to prepare for the application?** — For a design application you should prepare sharp, high-resolution images of every relevant view of the product against a plain background. The scope of protection is set by the images, not by the product name, class or description (SMK Article 61(3)). Missing or low-quality images can lead to a deficiency notice or a narrow scope of protection; during file preparation the images are arranged to meet TÜRKPATENT's technical requirements. - **Does an unregistered design have no protection at all?** — An unregistered design does have protection, but it is narrow and short. A design first made available to the public in Türkiye is protected for three years from that date (SMK Articles 55(4) and 69(2)). This protection only works against copying and does not stop similar designs developed independently (Article 59(2)); in an infringement, the burden of proving the disclosure date and the copying falls on you. Registration, by contrast, protects for up to 25 years without having to show copying, and makes infringement action and seizure at customs workable. - **What can I do if my design is copied?** — If your design is imitated, you can send a formal warning letter for infringement of your registered design right, claim to stop the infringement and for damages (SMK Articles 149–151), and seek seizure at customs. If the imitation has been registered and published in someone else's name, an opposition can be filed within 3 months of publication; Webx handles this opposition as the registered agent. At the court stage, Webx works with partner lawyers or with your own lawyer. The protection terms and registrability conditions on this page are based on Industrial Property Law No. 6769. Official fees are updated annually by TÜRKPATENT; the current amount is provided to you after a free preliminary assessment. [Design Registration Service Agreement](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/hukuki/tasarim-tescil-hizmet-sozlesmesi) ## Sources - [Industrial Property Law No. 6769 (Türkiye)](https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuat?MevzuatNo=6769&MevzuatTur=1&MevzuatTertip=5) (mevzuat.gov.tr) - [TÜRKPATENT — Design Fees](https://www.turkpatent.gov.tr/tasarim-islem-ucretleri) (turkpatent.gov.tr) - [TÜRKPATENT — Locarno Classification for Designs](https://www.turkpatent.gov.tr/tasarim-locarno-siniflandirmasi) (turkpatent.gov.tr) - [WIPO — The Hague System (international design registration)](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/hague-system) (wipo.int) Last updated: 11 October 2026 ## Related Resources - [Trademark or Patent? The Differences Between Design and Utility Model Protection](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-vs-patent-design-and-utility-model): Trademark vs patent in Turkey: a trademark protects a sign, a patent a technical invention. Requirements, terms and examination for utility models and designs. - [How to Register a Design in Turkey: Novelty Requirement and Filing Steps](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/how-to-register-a-design-in-turkey): How to register a design in Turkey: novelty and individual character, preparing views, EPATS filing, examination, the 3-month opposition period and 2026 fees. - [How to Plan Trademark and Design Protection for Product Packaging Together](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/protecting-packaging-with-trademarks-and-designs): How to protect packaging design: trademarks for name and logo, designs for bottle and label, copyright for artwork, unfair competition for the whole, and timing - [What Are the Risks of Sharing a Product Online Before Design Registration?](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/sharing-a-design-online-before-registration): Shared product images before filing a design? How novelty is judged worldwide, the limits of the 12-month grace period, EU and US rules and your first steps. - [Who Owns a Logo, Design or Invention Created by an Employee or a Freelance Designer?](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/who-owns-ip-created-by-employees-and-freelancers): Who owns a logo, software, design or invention made by an employee or freelancer? FSEK and SMK rules, notification deadlines and a contract checklist. - [How Do You Protect Trademark and Packaging Rights in Contract Manufacturing?](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-and-packaging-rights-in-contract-manufacturing): Who owns the trademark, packaging design, molds and recipe in contract manufacturing? Filing timing, design rights from the agency and a contract checklist. - [Patent Registration](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/hizmetler/patent-tescil): Covers preparing patent and utility model applications, the differences between protection types and the TÜRKPATENT procedure.