Protect your idea
Your idea.
Your IP.
DIP does not claim ownership of the intellectual property in your design.
But if your idea could have commercial potential, when and how you share it matters.
Before making your design public, take some time to understand what may already exist and whether your idea could need formal protection.
Your work will be made public
DIP keeps your initial submission confidential during the judging phases.
If you become a finalist, your design will be made public as part of the competition and its associated publicity.
If you think your idea may need intellectual property protection, consider this before that happens and seek appropriate professional advice.
Start with what is already out there
A good idea does not exist in isolation.
Before deciding how original your design is, look for products, patents and other solutions that address the same problem.
Search broadly.
Look at existing products and competitors.
Search online images and product listings.
Explore published patents and registered designs.
The aim is to understand what already exists and what is different about your idea.
Why this matters to your DIP entry
Originality is part of the judging criteria.
The judges want to see that you have explored existing solutions and can explain where your own thinking adds something different.
Think before you share
Making an idea public can affect your ability to protect it later.
That could include sharing it online, publishing it, exhibiting it or discussing it publicly.
If protection could matter, deal with it before public disclosure.
What could you protect?
Different forms of intellectual property protect different things.
Patents
Can protect how a new invention works.
Registered designs
Can protect the appearance of a product.
Trademarks
Can protect names, logos and other brand identifiers.
Copyright
Can protect original drawings, graphics and other creative work.
Which, if any, is appropriate depends on your idea.
DIP cannot provide legal advice, so if protection matters, seek advice from an intellectual property professional or the appropriate intellectual property authority before making your design public.
Your work remains yours
Entering DIP does not transfer ownership of your idea to the competition.
Any intellectual property you create remains yours.
If you make the final six
Intellectual property forms part of the finalist development programme.
Use that opportunity, together with feedback from preliminary judging, to question what is original, what may be protectable and what needs to happen before the design is presented publicly.
Learn more. Make informed decisions. Then move the idea forward.
Need professional guidance?
"DiP has opened my eyes to more renewable technologies which I was wasn’t aware of before, so I am excited to see this integrated into design fields in the future. It has made me want to pursue design for underrepresented groups more, as there is such great technology and material innovation out there, which needs to be made available for everyone – and most importantly, at a lower affordable cost!"
Isabel Payne