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Design: can I register the look of my product?
Design registration protects how a product looks, not how it works. It must be new, and it is lost if you show or sell the design before filing.
How the product looksNo - it has a chosen visual appearanceYes - shown publicly, online or sold← back a step
A design disclosed to the public before filing generally cannot be registered.
High complexity - significant legal consequences
- Section 4(b) bars a design disclosed to the public anywhere, by publication, use or otherwise, before the filing or priority date.
- A registration obtained despite prior publication can be cancelled (section 19).
- Ask your attorney whether a priority claim from an earlier foreign filing helps, and consider protecting new variations before they are shown.
Not sure whether this applies to your invention?
The honest answer usually needs someone to look at your actual disclosure, your timeline and the prior art. That is a conversation, not an article.