FAQ Entry #309

This is a respond to a previously asked question about the A' Design Award and Competition. The full list of frequently asked questions can be accessed here.

#309: Will the intellectual property rights of the designer be protected as a result of the submission of the design?

The intellectual property rights of the designer is kept with the designer; i.e. by submitting a design to the A' Design Award and Competition and signing our participation agreement, you still keep your intellectual property rights (unlike design contests or other third party competitions), but you should be reminded that you grant us the right to advertise, publish and print your design in our best designs yearbook and through our media partners. It is important to note that by submitting a design to the competition you do not obtain a patent; i.e. the intellectual property rights of the designer are not granted a country-level protection as a result of the submission of the design, however we provide proof-of-creation service, which while is not a patent could potentially help you protect your interests when proving that your are the original creator of the project, the proof-of-creation service is provided free of charge to participants who nominate a work. You should also realize that if you submit your work to A' Design Awards (or to any other competition) you will potentially loose the possibility to patent your work in most countries if your work gets published (as explained by patent laws - publicly known projects cannot be patented), thus you should patent your work before joining the competition (or submit patented works to ensure maximum protection), however there is a possibility to join A' Design Award and still the ability to keep your work patentable; this is by joining the concealed categories which do not publish results, especially created for this intellectual property protection reasons. Furthermore, we require the Jury members to sign a non-disclosure agreement, this helps further protection of your interests especially the protection of trade-secrets or other information you submit as a part of your presentation.

Keywords: intellectual property, ip, design ip, design intellectual property, intellectual property rights, design rights, industrial design rights, copyrights, copylefts, intellectual property rights for designers, ip rights for design, publishing designs, concealed categories, trade secrets, industry secrets, patents, patent, proof of creation

The following questions could be related:

• #5: Can I apply for multiple categories?
• #8: Do I need to have an affiliation with a design company, design organization or design related institution to join the A' Design Competition?
• #12: How can I participate in a Contest?
• #17: Can I join with multiple articles for the same design competition category?
• #36: Can I apply with the same design to multiple competitions?
• #42: Can I participate with hand drafting images?
• #43: Is there a discount for multiple article (design/entry) submission for the same category? For example: If I submitted two articles to the same category, does the entry fee double?
• #44: Is there a discount for submitting the same article (design/entry) to multiple categories?
• #60: Do I need to have a patented, labelled, trademarked or registered product, design or idea to participate in the competition?
• #61: Can I join with my patented, registered, trademarked or labelled products, designs or ideas?
• #62: Can I submit a product family as a single entry?
• #65: I do not have the sufficient funds to cover for the processing fees and payments, do you have any suggestions?
• #67: I did not graduate from a design school or school of art. Can I still apply with my designs or illustrations?
• #72: Can we join as a team / group / partnership?
• #73: How to enter as a team? How can we submit a design with many partners involved?
• #94: I am not so sure about which competition category to join for, can you help me?
• #99: Is sports clothing included in the fashion design category?
• #104: If I want to add different designs in different categories, do I need to register multiple times?
• #109: Some of the text I enter for the description of my project during uploading such as details, function, inspiration, unique properties, interaction, project duration, production technology, package dimension, tags, research abstract or challenge are not visible when I view design?
• #110: Are there any restrictions or best practices while entering the descriptive texts when uploading my design?
• #111: How can I modify or change my design description and details?
• #118: Is it possible to receive newsletter from A'Design Award and Competitions?
• #124: I am a designer and I also have a tax-code / or I also have a company. Shall I join the competition as a designer or as a design company.
• #134: I am interested in joining the Design competition, but I do not have the copyrights or patents regarding my idea/design. I would like to know if I am eligible without them. If I apply without a patent, what could ensure that my idea/design is secure, how can I protect my design/idea.
• #148: Can I submit many different designs for the Furniture Design Award as a single entry?
• #150: Does it matter to enter description of my design? What is its weight on the scoring?
• #156: Concerning the privacy and publishing settings I am not quite sure which option to go for. I have no patent for my product, yet if I should be a winner then I would be most interested in having my design published and sent to the press. If my design is seen in various media after I have filed for a patent then I would be more reassured. However, if press release takes place when no measures have been taken to obtain a patent, then this would be risky.
• #157: I have my brand or logo patented in my country only. If I were to show this logo in publications, would this be detrimental to the continued existence of my brand, since it will be exposed at an international level where I have no protection. Would an additional copyright covering 164 countries help ?
• #169: My page title is wrong in the yearbook how can I change it?
• #188: Is it safe for me to submit designs that I do not yet have patents on?
• #190: I'm unable to order by winners kit as it already shows delivered. What should I do?
• #192: I would like to know if I can send my courier to pick-up both Physical Components of the Winner's Kit and the Exhibition Materials for Awarded Design. When can I send the courier?
• #199: I have an approved patent for my design, can I still join the design competition?
• #211: Can I submit several designs as a single entry?
• #226: Will my award winning entry publicly visible? Can I patent it after results announced?
• #227: How many pieces do I exhibit at the exhibition? Can I exhibit my other designs?
• #241: Is it possible to register the same project to more than one category?
• #243: I have ordered my winner's kit to be shipped to my address, however now I have changed my mind and I will attend the gala-night, what will happen to my kit and what will happen to the order?
• #244: I have a project that has won the A' Design Awards and I have a video of this project, can I exhibit the video in the exhibition?
• #259: I find there are five (5) image slots where I can upload my designs to. Does this mean that I can nominate up to five (5) designs through a single nomination?
• #262: Can five (5) designers that worked on one project enter this one composition for your design contest?
• #265: For the character limit in the various descriptions for a submission, are spaces counted?
• #272: Our company usually uses a picture, which isn't created by us, but we have got rights to use it as we bought the image. Can we upload this image to as a part of our project presentation to A' Design Award?
• #277: We did not submit anything this year. We hope to next year but we still got the participation confirmation email at the competition deadline, what is it?
• #286: I would like to know who will have the patent of designed product. will it belong to winner or your committee?
• #288: What are the requirements to participate in the exhibition for spatial design projects?
• #289: I am not sure in which category should my project be. I would be grateful to know if it is possible to submit one design in several categories.
• #303: We would like to add our product to you award competition. However, it is not entirely clear how much we would have to pay in fees for this - could you please clarify.
• #305: Will there be one winner or five winners for a design award category?
• #310: I would like to know if all the documents attached must be written in English in the design description. Can I use another language in a description document added for the design?
• #312: Can I upload different design works to participate different design competition categories with one account, how to operate?
• #313: I did not understand if it is possible for us, to nominate more than one project in the same category or different categories, if is possible?
• #314: Are the submissions pictorial only or do we need to submit associated text?
• #323: I am planning to submit one of my design to the awards. Would it be possible for me to submit the exact same product to another competition?
• #326: Can we know the final fee before nominating each work?
• #333: I am planning to nominate the same design to multiple categories by making two nominations, how should I prepare the presentation? Can I use the same presentation for both?
• #338: Is there any limitations for participating in different fields or design award categories?
• #339: Is there a possibility to submit three different models of the same design in one only ID#. How do you recommend me to do it? Is there a possibility to still submit three main images and four optional images for each of them? Other ways I would only submit one because the optional ones are important to understand the object. Can i submit as well one sketch drawing in each group?
• #340: I have submitted my design. But I haven't got a patent yet. Is it safe (my design will not be stolen) if I submit my design? If there is a risk for me losing the patent of my design, I might think again before joining the competition?
• #341: Can I join the design award competition without a patent?
• #342: Is it possible to participate in 2 or 3 different categories as a designer?
• #344: I want to use the design mediation services to sell my design and I already made international patent filing for it for that purpose but I do not know how to set the price for my design?
• #348: Could you provide a little bit information about the award, the history, the number of participants (and from how many countries) and the number of selected projects?
• #349: Who are the participants of the design award? Are they design students, professional designers or design studios and corporations?
• #356: Will we get a certificate of participation or award?
• #367: We designed a building and we did both interior design and architecture, which category shall we join?
• #374: I would like to know if I can upload more than one project.
• #377: I have had a read through your guidelines and will be applying for the preliminary stage very soon - just one thing, I see no mention or address for submitting on actual product, prototype or sample. Is a product or prototype submission required?
• #379: Could you please inform me that how many different projects can I submit in the same year? Additionally, can I submit a project which won a different Design Award prize?
• #385: Is this design competition can be join by a group?
• #395: Will I have a proof of creation document if I win the design prize?
• #396: Can I submit my design into many categories? If yes how do I do that?
• #400: Can I send teamwork projects? I mean designs I did with another person?
• #409: I live in an another country, I am not sure if I could attend or bring my item to exhibition.
• #413: Do I still remain the sole owner of the copyright to my works, if I nominate my work to the competition?
• #420: Could you please tell me if a work wins the design award who will receive the winner package? The profile owner or the Company that commissioned the work?
• #423: How come my entry is not a Platinum award winner even though it is the first in my category!
• #428: My work received participant status, can I join next year or for future editions with this design?
• #436: I've asked to change the shipping address for my design award parcel several times by sending support some emails but I just got an email saying it's shipped to my old address. Is there any chance to change the address now. Please let me know as soon as possible.
• #443: Hi, I would like to know if United States citizens are eligible to participate in this design award? Would the fees be the same?
• #448: For the main and optional images, please advise if composited image is accepted?
• #450: If the winner design is in a concealed category, will these works be displayed in the award ceremony in the screen or stage?
• #452: I would like to ask if the nomination fee is assigned for several projects by participants or for one selected project?
• #456: I have an award winning work, will the design award cover the cost of my international patent application?
• #459: I have noticed that the shipping address of the Winner's Kit is not correct, can you use the correct address as shown on our profile? Can you send to a different address?
• #463: Where can I download an invoice?
• #465: I have not received my award, winner kit and everything else and it's been a long time since the Awards ceremony, how can I have them?
• #475: We didn't go to the awards this year and we have not received any items from you, how can we have our winner kits?
• #483: We are honoured to receive the awards from A'Design Award, however, we did not receive any certificates and packages, how do we get our stuff?
• #484: I submitted a project in another design competition, and I am wondering if I can submit it in your competition as well
• #485: Would I be submitting a specific piece or would I be submitting multiple pieces that together would exemplify a certain style or technique of art?
• #489: Why can’t I modify my participation to Gala Night after the Preliminary Gala Checklist Deadline?
• #491: I had submitted my Jury application earlier, and wonder when will I know the jury application result? Please let me know if you have any questions or if there is additional process.
• #493: I need to send an item back, what do I write as its value?
• #498: What do you mean you have cancelled my winner kit shipment after I open a payment dispute right after results announcement? Why did I also get negative credits for that?
• #499: I am a professional edition winner, do I need to pay for the delivery and shipment of my winner kit to my address using an express courier? Am I obliged to order the winner kit?
• #502: I send my package to your exhibition in another country, I got confirmation before I sent package that you would exhibit my work, but no one picked my package from the post office in the destination country, how do I get compensated?
• #505: Will I be invited to the Gala Night?
• #506: I want to bring a couple of very important people, VIP contacts, such as ambassadors to Gala Night, is it possible?
• #509: What are the difference between patents and copyright for the costs and duration?
• #510: Can I take someone else photo or design and use in my design or work?
• #511: Is my design protected by copyrights?
• #514: How do I prove that I am the original photographer of the photo? How do I prove that a photograph was taken by me?
• #518: How do I enter the A' Design Award Competition?
• #524: How long will the results of the A' Design Award be kept confidential?
• #530: What are your plans to make the World Design Ratings better?
• #534: Is there risk of publishing my design online from the perspective of copyrights and patents?

If you did not find your answer, please feel free to check the faq pages for more questions and answers. You will also want to check our webpage for details; thanks to our transparency policy, we document and publish everything.