Industrial Design

Industrial Design

Normally protects the visual appearance of a product or item. Comprehensively, protects an aspect of a useful article which is ornamental or aesthetic. It can include the three-dimensional features such as the shape and surface of an article, or the two-dimensional features such as patterns, lines or colors.

Confusion may arises as someone will think that Industrial Design, Trademark and Patent are similar. A trademark although may contains all kinds of visible signs which may or may not be ornamental but only concerns with the distinctiveness and descriptiveness of a product. Patent is determined by the functionality or process of an object since it must be an invention and does not care about the appearance of a product or item which is in contrast with the purpose of Industrial design that determined by the appearance of a product or item.

There is no registrations been made till now from foreign and domestic clients and we still work in accordance with the UK Industrial Design Ordinances (Cap 99). Kiribati Industrial Design Act is also considered to be implemented in the upcoming years with new legislation reflecting the national policy objectives of Kiribati.