FAQ Entry #226

This is a respond to a previously asked question about the A' Design Award and Competition. The full list of frequently asked questions can be accessed here.

#226: Will my award winning entry publicly visible? Can I patent it after results announced?

Yes, your winning entry will be visible publicly after competition results are announced, this is a required task as it leads to transparency, and most important it is required so that press members, design enthusiasts and other interested parties such as businesses could find and access your winning entry to make further inquiries, such as business proposals, publication possibilities and others. It is not possible for us to remove or hide your entry after you are announced as a winner, but we would like to remind you that not all information is revealed: Especially, the pdf documentations you upload which contains process details, blueprints, project details etc are not shared with neither the public nor the press and are only seen by the jury members which sign the non-disclosure agreement, that being said, you can rest assured that your sensitive project information is safe. It is important to remind you that your winning entry will be published as a part of a book, be shared by press members via press conferences and press releases and will be exhibited in the exhibition, therefore further dissemination will also occur. This dissemination leads to fact that your entry becomes publicly known, which makes it an issue for patenting in the future, thus, for patent and copyright reasons, it is best you apply the patents earlier, in any case there are grace periods that could be used for applying patents so that you could still patent your works in several countries, however you should refer to laws in individual countries. Please discuss with a patent or copyright specialist lawyer for further information as our suggestions cannot replace that of a specialist.

Keywords: design publication, design patents, design patenting, design dissemination

The following questions could be related:

• #134: I am interested in joining the Design competition, but I do not have the copyrights or patents regarding my idea/design. I would like to know if I am eligible without them. If I apply without a patent, what could ensure that my idea/design is secure, how can I protect my design/idea.
• #156: Concerning the privacy and publishing settings I am not quite sure which option to go for. I have no patent for my product, yet if I should be a winner then I would be most interested in having my design published and sent to the press. If my design is seen in various media after I have filed for a patent then I would be more reassured. However, if press release takes place when no measures have been taken to obtain a patent, then this would be risky.
• #157: I have my brand or logo patented in my country only. If I were to show this logo in publications, would this be detrimental to the continued existence of my brand, since it will be exposed at an international level where I have no protection. Would an additional copyright covering 164 countries help ?
• #286: I would like to know who will have the patent of designed product. will it belong to winner or your committee?

If you did not find your answer, please feel free to check the faq pages for more questions and answers. You will also want to check our webpage for details; thanks to our transparency policy, we document and publish everything.