§1306 Design Notice

Summary

When a design is made public and the owner wants protection, the owner must put a clear design notice on the item. The notice must show that the design is protected (either with words saying so, a short abbreviation, a circled letter D, or the symbol *D*), show the year protection began, and show the owner’s name or a recognizable short name or an owner ID that was recorded with the Administrator before the design is registered. After the design is registered, the registration number can stand in for the year and owner information. Place the notice where it will give reasonable notice while the item moves through normal commerce. If the owner followed these rules, losing or having the notice removed or destroyed by someone else does not cancel the design’s protection.