Designs Reform: The Government's Response

Designs law rarely makes headlines. It is the quiet, slightly awkward middle child of IP: less glamorous than trade marks, less lucrative than patents and much less argued about at dinner parties than copyright and AI. But for anyone who makes products that people buy partly because of how they look, whether that is a handbag, a kettle or an app, it matters a great deal.

On 4 November 2026 the government (through the UK Intellectual Property Office) published its response to last year's consultation on changes to the UK designs framework. It is a long document, and a sensible one. Some big ideas have been shelved, some modest ones are being taken forward, and a few difficult questions have been parked, politely, for another day.