Posted on May 13, 2026
The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) has recently issued Designs Practice Notice DPN 01/26, which revises and clarifies their practice in relation to graphic symbols, graphical user interfaces (GUIs), and animated designs.
The notice provides welcome guidance on the tricky subject of how the UK IPO expects designs incorporating movement to be presented, and how they will be assessed by the UK IPO. Notably, the notice makes clear that as well as accepting designs for GUIs that encompass the visual configuration of graphic elements as they appear on screen, designs showing the way such elements move through a self-contained animated sequence can also be protected. The notice provides useful confirmation that the UK IPO will register such designs, and it is hoped that the new guidance will make it easier for designers to protect dynamic digital content in the UK.
Businesses that develop digital products should consider whether their designs could benefit from registered design protection. A well thought out design registration can be a valuable registered intellectual property right, including as a complement to patent protection for the functional aspects of a digital product, or where patent protection is not available.
Please get in touch if you would like guidance on protecting your digital designs.
At Abel + Imray we are experienced in obtaining registered design protection in the EU and the UK. We are a European firm and assist our clients to protect their IP rights in the UK, Europe and worldwide from our offices in the UK and The Netherlands and through our international network of trusted local attorneys.
