- Latest available (Revised)
- Original (As enacted)
Registered Designs Act 1949
You are here:
What Version
Advanced Features
- Show Geographical Extent(e.g. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)
- Show Timeline of Changes
Opening Options
More Resources
Changes to legislation:
Registered Designs Act 1949, Paragraph 3 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 27 April 2024. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
Changes to Legislation
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. Changes and effects are recorded by our editorial team in lists which can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area. Where those effects have yet to be applied to the text of the legislation by the editorial team they are also listed alongside the legislation in the affected provisions. Use the ‘more’ link to open the changes and effects relevant to the provision you are viewing.
Changes and effects yet to be applied to the whole Act associated Parts and Chapters:
Whole provisions yet to be inserted into this Act (including any effects on those provisions):
- s. 22(1)(aa) and word inserted by 2014 c. 18 s. 9(2)
- s. 22(5) inserted by 2014 c. 18 s. 9(4)
- s. 22(6) (7) inserted by 2014 c. 18 s. 9(5)
Reference of disputes as to Crown use.U.K.
3[F1(1)Any dispute as to—
(a)the exercise by a Government department, or a person authorised by a Government department, of the powers conferred by paragraph 1 of this Schedule,
(b)terms for the use of a design for the services of the Crown under that paragraph,
(c)the right of any person to receive any part of a payment made under paragraph 1(3), or
(d)the right of any person to receive a payment under paragraph 2A,
may be referred to the court by either party to the dispute.]
(2)In any proceedings under this paragraph to which a Government department are a party, the department may—
(a)if the registered proprietor is a party to the proceedings [F2and the department are a relevant person within the meaning of section 20 of this Act], apply for [F3invalidation] of the registration of the design upon any ground upon which the registration of a design may be [F3declared invalid] on an application to the court under section twenty of this Act;
(b)in any case [F4and provided that the department would be the relevant person within the meaning of section 20 of this Act if they had made an application on the grounds for invalidity being raised], put in issue the validity of the registration of the design without applying for its [F3invalidation].
(3)If in such proceedings as aforesaid any question arises whether a design has been recorded or applied as mentioned in paragraph 1 of this Schedule, and the disclosure of any document recording the design, or of any evidence of the application thereof, would in the opinion of the department be prejudicial to the public interest, the disclosure may be made confidentially to counsel for the other party or to an independent expert mutually agreed upon.
(4)In determining under this paragraph any dispute between a Government department and any person as to terms for the use of a design for the services of the Crown, the court shall have regard to any benefit or compensation which that person or any person from whom he derives title may have received, or may be entitled to receive, directly or indirectly from any Government department in respect of the design in question.
(5)In any proceedings under this paragraph the court may at any time order the whole proceedings or any question or issue of fact arising therein to be referred to a special or official referee or an arbitrator on such terms as the court may direct; and references to the court in the foregoing provisions of this paragraph shall be construed accordingly.
Textual Amendments
F1Sch. 1 para. 3(1) substituted by Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (c. 48, SIF 67A), s. 271(2)
F2Words in Sch. 1 para. 3(2)(a) inserted (9.12.2001) by S.I. 2001/3949, reg. 9(1), Sch. 1 para. 15(5)(a) (with transitional provisions in regs. 10-14)
F3Words in Sch. 1 para. 3(2)(a)(b) substituted (9.12.2001) by S.I. 2001/3949, reg. 9(1), Sch. 1 para. 15(5)(b)(c)(6)(b) (with transitional provisions in regs. 10-14)
F4Words in Sch. 1 para. 3(2)(b) substituted (9.12.2001) by S.I. 2001/3949, reg. 9(1), Sch. 1 para. 15(6)(a) (with transitional provisions in regs. 10-14)
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1Paras. 1-3 extended by S.I. 1965/1536, Sch. 3
C2Sch. 1 para. 3(2)–(5) extended by British Telecommunications Act 1981 (c. 38, SIF 96), s. 88, Sch. 5 para. 20(2)
C3Reference to official referee to be construed (E.W.) as reference to Circuit judge discharging functions of official referee: Courts Act 1971 (c. 23), s. 25(3)
Options/Help
Print Options
PrintThe Whole Act
PrintThe Whole Schedule
PrintThis Section only
Legislation is available in different versions:
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.
See additional information alongside the content
Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.
Opening Options
Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once
More Resources
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- correction slips
- links to related legislation and further information resources
Timeline of Changes
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
More Resources
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- correction slips
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- links to related legislation and further information resources
All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. This site additionally contains content derived from EUR-Lex, reused under the terms of the Commission Decision 2011/833/EU on the reuse of documents from the EU institutions. For more information see the EUR-Lex public statement on re-use.