Registered design right protection coming to the Cayman Islands
A new Design Rights Registration Law is expected to be passed and implemented before the end of 2016. The re-registration of UK registered designs and RCDs in the Cayman Islands will afford the owner all the equivalent rights and remedies available to them in respect of that design right in the UK.
The new law follows the launch of the Cayman Islands Intellectual Property Office in May 2016 and stems from the Cayman Islands government’s commitment to expand the range of intellectual property protection available.
The re-registration process
In order to obtain protection, an application will be made through a registered agent in the Cayman Islands. All that will be needed to proceed are the particulars of the UK registered design or RCD to be re-registered, along with the applicable fee (the official fees are still to be confirmed). No power of attorney or other documentation will be required.
Given that most applications should be accepted on the basis that they have already been registered in the UK or the EU, generally it will not be necessary to conduct a pre-application search of the Cayman Designs Register.
