Ahmed Airotta, head of the Industrial Designs and Models Department at the Directorate for the Protection of Commercial and Industrial Property under the Ministry of Industry, Internal Trade and Consumer Protection, affirmed that the external shape of a product is no longer just an aesthetic element, but has become an influential factor in its identity, commercial value, and ability to compete in markets.
Airotta pointed out that a distinctive design gives the product a special presence among similar products and constitutes an economic asset deserving legal protection. He noted that the number of applications for registering industrial designs and models submitted during the past period of the current year reached 362 applications, distributed between local and international requests.
For his part, he clarified that this protection contributes to providing fairer competition among companies in markets, safeguarding the intangible rights and assets of their owners, as well as encouraging creativity and motivating companies to develop designs and products that enable them to strengthen their commercial presence.
He added that the importance of registering a design is not limited to preventing imitation, but extends to enhancing the commercial value of the product, as the protected design becomes one of the assets that its owner can invest in and benefit from to develop their economic activity, giving innovation a dimension that goes beyond the idea to financial return.
Airotta explained that industrial designs and models do not protect the technical function of the product or its method of operation, but rather protect its external appearance and distinctive aesthetic elements, such as car designs, watches, architectural plans, and the shapes of food and detergent product packaging.
He indicated that a condition for granting protection is that the design must be novel and distinctive, and must not have been disclosed anywhere in the world. He noted that the duration of protection for industrial designs and models is five years, renewable twice consecutively, bringing the total protection period to 15 years.
He clarified that registration procedures are carried out directly by the interested party or through a local agent, with the presence of a local agent being mandatory for foreign companies. This requires documenting identity with the commercial register, a registration form, and a financial receipt not exceeding 500,000 Syrian pounds, along with five copies or drawings of the model.
Airotta called on innovators and product owners to register their industrial designs and models with the Ministry through the Directorate for the Protection of Commercial and Industrial Property, to safeguard their rights in creativity and production and protect their designs from unauthorized exploitation.
The protection of industrial designs and models forms part of a broader intellectual property system, which is linked to encouraging investment and motivating industries to develop products with added value. Clear property rights and the ability to protect them provide idea owners with legal guarantees that help them invest in their innovations.
This protection also allows small and medium-sized enterprises to possess competitive differentiation elements that do not necessarily rely on production volume or capital, but can be based on design, creativity, and the ability to develop products that meet consumer needs.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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