How to plan your first public design reveal
Keep sampling confidential and agree who may publish images before planning the reveal. IPO guidance says supplementary unregistered design protection is established by first disclosure in the UK. Record the design shown, date, place and audience, and seek advice before an online or overseas launch. Coordinate factory release controls with Cambridge China Bridge.
Decide what the reveal needs to achieve
IPO guidance says supplementary unregistered design protection is established by first disclosure in the UK. It concerns product appearance. Treat the launch location and publication sequence as decisions to settle before approving publicity, rather than assuming that buying through a UK company settles them.
This guide adds a disclosure plan to the wider IP and tooling guide. Write down which sampled version you intend to reveal, which appearance features matter, and whether you want advice about registration before any public release.
Keep sampling within a confidential workflow
For confidential sampling, ask a legal adviser to prepare suitable confidentiality terms before sharing the design. Government guidance recommends legal advice before disclosure and when preparing the agreement. Agree who may receive drawings, handle samples or take photographs, and keep their acknowledgements with the sample records.
Tell the factory, photographer, testing provider and sourcing team that sample approval is not permission to publish. Ask them to withhold catalogue listings, portfolio images, social posts and exhibition displays until your written release. Use the sampling guide for sample arrangements; keep publication approval separate.
Plan the UK reveal before other publicity
Choose a proposed UK reveal and have an IP adviser review how it will reach the relevant audience. Give the adviser the venue, audience, images and publication schedule. For an online-only or simultaneous international launch, ask specifically whether the proposed disclosure supports the UK right before relying on it.
IPO guidance warns that first disclosure in the European Union does not establish the UK supplementary right and may destroy novelty for a later UK unregistered-right claim. Check for earlier public listings or displays before release. Hold overseas publicity until the disclosure plan has been reviewed.
Keep a launch evidence file
IPO guidance says you need proof of when you created the design to prove your right. It suggests signed and dated drawings or photographs certified and kept by a solicitor or intellectual property attorney. Retain the design history alongside the exact sample version selected for launch.
For the reveal itself, save the published images, page captures, publication timestamps with time zones, venue details, invitations and evidence of who could see the design. Keep original files and publication confirmations, rather than just a screenshot of today's page. Record later changes separately so you can explain which version each record shows.
Check for leaks and authorise release
Before release, ask each participant to confirm whether anything has already been published or shown without confidentiality controls. Search supplier catalogues, marketplace listings and social accounts. If you find an earlier reveal, preserve its content, date and audience information and send it to your adviser before proceeding.
Appoint a person to authorise publication, circulate the agreed release instructions and collect confirmation afterwards. Keep this alongside the sample approval and order file described in the first-order checklist. Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China can help communicate the buyer's publication instructions to the factory.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send a design sample to a factory before launch?
Plan it as confidential sampling. Get advice on confidentiality terms before sharing, restrict recipients and record what was sent. Keep permission to make or approve a sample separate from permission to publish it.
Does using a UK website establish UK design protection?
Do not assume it does. IPO guidance centres on first disclosure in the UK. Ask an IP adviser to review your online audience and publication plan before relying on the reveal.
What if my design was first shown in the European Union?
IPO guidance says this does not establish the UK supplementary right and may destroy novelty for a later UK unregistered-right claim. Preserve the earlier disclosure evidence and seek advice before launch.
What records should I keep from a design launch?
Keep dated design records, the exact images and sample version revealed, publication confirmations, timestamps with time zones, location and audience evidence, plus the instructions authorising release.